Ultimatum
by To Glory
Summary: When Rudy organizes a trip to the the most prestigous karate temple in Japan, the dojo thought it would be good to learn from the greatest karate masters in the world. However, an ancient prophecy they know nothing about suddenly chooses them to fulfill it; to stop a corrupt organization of grand masters before they usher in a new age of terror masked as morality. Read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Kickin' It. All rights go to Disney Channel and other respected owner(s).**

Jack woke up to sunlight warming his face.

He blinked. They had been waiting at the airport for a few hours, waiting in the boarding area for their delayed flight to Japan to arrive. Rudy had planned for the whole dojo to take a two-week trip to a prestigious martial arts temple in Japan in what he considered an "educational experience". Everyone was looking forward to relaxing and practicing karate for fourteen days, but so far the actual flight had been postponed for an hour or two.

Jack slowly sat up in his chair. He looked around, noticing that nothing had changed since he had fallen asleep. The afternoon light shone through the window, illuminating his friends. Kim was sitting next to him with her back to him, listening to music on her iPhone, Milton was sitting alone on the ground a ways off reading a ridiculously large textbook, Eddie and Jerry were arm wrestling in the seats across from them, and Rudy was passed out next to Jerry, draped over seat armrest in a very undignified manner.

"Morning, Jack," Kim said from next to him.

Jack looked over at Kim. She hadn't even looked up.

"How did you know I was awake?" Jack asked her.

Kim removed her earphones and looked at him. "I heard you sit up. You were asleep at least an hour. You must be pretty tired."

Jack rubbed his eyes. "Not tired, just bored I guess." He noticed Milton sitting by himself. "What's up with Milton?"

Kim glanced at Milton as she opened her backpack, which was sitting in the seat next to her. "I don't know. He hasn't moved from that spot for hours."

"Wow," Jack said.

"Yeah," said Kim. "Well, at least it can't be much longer, right?"

"Right," Jack replied.

Kim smiled at him and leaned over to her backpack. Jack looked over at Kim as she stored her iPhone in her backpack. The sun from the glass window behind lit up her long blonde hair. As he looked at her, he couldn't help but remember the last time he was headed for Japan. He almost left his friends and family. He had almost left Kim. In that time, he had written a letter to Kim with his feelings for her written down in it and had it given to her, but when he decided against leaving, he also decided against telling her. Now he wished more than ever that he had the courage and motivation to tell her about his feelings.

She zipped up her backpack and leaned back in her chair. "Can you believe we're going to Japan?" she asked.

"Not especially," he replied.

She looked at him quizzically. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he lied quickly.

Kim raised an eyebrow.

Jack glanced at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"Come on," Kim said. "I know you well enough. I know there's something wrong."

"It's nothing," Jack assured her, but she didn't look convinced.

Across from them, Jerry and Eddie had stopped arm wrestling. Jerry stood up, crossed the aisle, and dropped into the seat next to Jack, crossing his legs and trying to look relaxed.

"So, you ready for Japan?" Jerry asked Jack.

"Not really," Jack said, but Jerry wasn't listening. He didn't even pause to listen to his answer or even to take a breath.

"I heard that the temple has a rigorous training course," Jerry said rapidly, occasionally gesturing with his hands for emphasis, "that they have their own sacred garden, that they have a hot springs, that their grand master studies advanced kung fu, and-"

"Masters," piped Milton from his secluded spot.

They all looked at him. "What?" Jerry asked.

"According to this book," Milton said, hefting his book in the air with one hand, "the temple we're staying in has various grand masters, all studying advanced kung fu."

Jerry looked absolutely mortified. "That is one big book, man," he said.

"Sometimes his knowledge scares me," Kim added.

Milton continued, "The book also says that-"

Thankfully, they were saved by a female voice over the intercom announcing that their flight to Japan had arrived and will start boarding immediately.

Jerry was out of his seat in a flash, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder in record time. The rest reacted more slowly, shaking out stiff joints, and getting their bags ready.

"Someone should wake up Rudy," Kim said, gesturing to Rudy, who was snoring, oblivious to the commotion.

"I got him," Eddie said, shaking Rudy. He didn't budge.

"Wake up," Eddie said. Rudy gave no sign of movement. "Wake up, man," Eddie repeated.

"Hurry up, Eddie, we've got to board," Jerry said impatiently, bouncing from one foot to another.

"I'm trying!"

"We've got no time guys, just pick him up and let's go," Jack suggested.

"Good idea." Jerry grabbed a hold of Rudy's feet and Eddie grabbed his hands. Together, they dragged him off the seat and held him facing down in midair.

"Go wait for us in the line," Jerry told Kim.

"Okay," Kim said. "Come on, Milton." The two headed off to fall in line.

Jack grabbed Rudy's bag and headed to join Kim and Milton, but he stopped when he heard a_ thud _from behind him. He looked back and Rudy was laying on the ground. They must have dropped him.

"Careful, man, don't break him," Jerry said, gingerly grabbing his ankles and lifting him up.

"You guys need some help?" Jack asked.

"We got it under control," Jerry said, even though the strain in his face indicated the opposite.

Jack joined Kim and Milton in the line, and before long, so did Eddie, Jerry, and a still-sleeping Rudy as they put him on his feet and fought to keep him upright. The line moved fast, and soon they were able to hand in their tickets to the attendant at the counter. She looked questioningly at Rudy, who had fallen on his face as Jerry tried to pull him up.

"He's asleep," Kim explained, and the attendant nodded in recognition.

Once their passes were in, Milton and Eddie bolted down the connector towards the plane.

"There goes the second tow truck," Jerry said, watching Eddie dash away.

"I'll help you," Jack volunteered. Together, they hoisted Rudy up. He was surprisingly heavy, Jack noted, as his chest cleared the ground.

"It'll be a lot easier if we roll him down to the bottom," Jerry suggested.

"I don't think we should," Jack told him.

"Aww."

They carried him down and into the plane. Jerry and Jack plunked Rudy into the first available seat next to a random lady and Jerry collapsed, exhausted, into the empty seat next to Milton and Eddie. Jack found Kim sitting in an empty aisle.

"Care if I join you?" Jack asked politely.

Kim smiled. "Go ahead," she said, moving her bag to make room for him to sit right next to her.

Ten rows back, in a middle row, sitting closest to the aisle, a dark-skinned man in a suit watched the dojo get settled in for the long flight. As the last member, Jack, disappeared from the aisle into the seat row, he reached into his suit and drew out a sleek and compact phone from the inside pocket. He quickly dialed a number and held it to his ear.

"They're on board, sir," he said. "All six of them."

A flight attendant storing baggage next to him noticed his phone out. "Sir," she said, "please turn off your phone for takeoff."

The man nodded in acknowledgement, and the flight attendant lost interest in him and continued to pack bags into the overhead compartment. The man continued to listen on his phone. After a moment, he spoke.

"I understand, sir. Five of them will get off the plane."

**I know, it's not the most exciting intro except for the last few sentences, but rest assured, more action is coming up in the next chapters! Keep reading for more.**

**-To Glory **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for your guys' reviews on my first chapter. It means a lot to me. You guys are awesome! Anyway, here's the new chapter I promised you. I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer again: I do not own Kickin' It. All rights go to Disney Channel and other respected owner(s).**

Jack relaxed in his seat as the passenger jet cruised through the air. They had been flying for at least ten hours so far, which meant, according to the pilot's message that aired a few seconds ago, that they had twenty minutes left until they landed in Japan. Rudy was still asleep in his seat, which was a shocker, while Milton was reading his enormously large book again. Eddie and Jerry were playing cards on the plastic pull-down trays in the row in front of them. Kim had fallen asleep an hour ago and had her head lain on Jack's shoulder. As Jack relaxed in his seat, Jerry sat up and peered over the back of his seat at Jack.

"Hey, Jack, how long until this flight is done?" he asked.

"The pilot said twenty minutes," Jack said. "Weren't you paying attention?"

"Not at all. Twenty minutes?" Jerry asked incredulously.

"That's what I heard."

Jerry groaned. "Well, seeing as though we're going to be stuck here for twenty more minutes, I better use the bathroom." He unbuckled his seatbelt and walked down the aisle past Jack, heading for the bathroom in the rear of the plane.

Eddie laid down his hand of cards on the plastic tray in front of him.

"You wanna play cards with us, Milton?" Eddie offered him.

There was no movement from behind his giant book. "No thanks," Milton said. His voice seemed to echo from the closed-off space between his book and the cabin wall.

"Jack?" Eddie asked.

"I'm good," Jack said. He reached for his backpack, careful not to wake Kim up, and drew out the informational pamphlet on the temple in Japan that Rudy had handed out to all of them before the trip. He partially unfolded it and read the paragraph on facilities. According to the pamphlet, Jerry had been right about the temple's hot springs and training courses.

Kim stirred next to him. Jack paused momentarily, careful not to wake her with too much moving. He read another section on temple life. From what he read, it seemed like a dull life.

"How long does it take Jerry to use the bathroom?" Eddie asked, leaning into the aisle to look down at the restroom.

"I don't know," Jack said. "It's only been a minute or two."

"He's holding up the game," Eddie complained.

Jack laughed quietly and flipped the pamphlet over. He continued to read about the temple's location. It seemed remote, on a mountaintop surrounded by smaller mountain ranges. It seemed affected by the wars throughout history that had been waged in that area.

Typical stuff for an ancient temple.

He unfolded the remaining half and something fell out of it and landed on the floor at his feet. Jack was puzzled. He didn't remember storing anything in his pamphlet. Maybe it was just a perforated slip, like a fill-out sheet, that accidentally got separated.

He picked it up and it turned out to be a sheet of notebook paper, shaped into the two-dimensional shape of a circle. Upon a careless first look, it would seem to be emblazoned with the yin and yang. But upon closer review, it was revealed to be a warped version of the famous symbol. Two filled-in black circles with one white dot were on opposite sides of the circle, leaving a white space shaped like an hourglass in the middle. Jack frowned. This wasn't as symbol that he knew. Maybe Milton could identify it with his book.

"Hey, Milton," Jack called.

Milton's head popped up from his book and he craned his neck to see over the seat. "Yes?"

"Do you know this symbol?" Jack asked, extending the paper towards him.

Milton took it and studied it. "Interesting," he said. He disappeared behind the seat, and Jack could hear the rustling of pages as they were being turned. A few seconds later, Milton reappeared and handed the paper back to Jack. "I don't know the symbol on front, but it's been folded. Unfold it and see what happens."

"Thanks." He took it and started to unfold it. After twisting and turning it for a while, he was take apart the circle. It looked like a normal piece of blank notebook paper, except for the drawing on the front. He turned it over. On it were words that shocked, bemused, and rather frightened him.

Written on the back of the paper, in bold ink, were two words.

_Watch out._

He frowned. Watch out for what? He didn't know of anyone going through his backpack besides himself. Who would give this to him? And why?

He didn't have time to ponder it at that very moment. The plane hit a spot of turbulence and Kim jolted awake, sitting up in her seat briskly.

"I'm awake," she said. "Are we here already?" She glanced out the window.

"Almost," Jack said.

"Oh," she said. She noticed the piece of paper Jack still had in his hand. "What's that?"

"Hmm?" Jack asked. He had completely forgotten about the paper when Kim woke up. Suddenly, he felt like this was something that should stay with him. "Oh, nothing." He quickly crumpled it into a ball and stuffed it hurriedly into the open pouch of his backpack. "Just a piece of paper I found."

"What was written on it?" Kim asked, suppressing a yawn.

"Nothing," Jack repeated. "It's nothing important. "

"I've heard that one before," Kim said teasingly.

"This time, it's true." Mostly.

"Okay," Kim said nonchalantly, choosing not to pursue the subject further. "If you say so. Hey, where's Jerry?"

"Bathroom," came Eddie's voice from the row in front of them.

"Oh. I see," Kim said.

"He's been in there for a while," Jack explained. Once the words had left his mouth, he realized their truth value. "Wonder what's taking him so long?" He unbuckled his seatbelt and looked down the aisle.

His eyes scanned down the aisle. No sign of Jerry. Just an empty aisle and the passengers. His eyes found a dark-skinned man in a suit with sunglasses on. His eyes were hidden behind the dark shades, and his legs were crossed casually. It was almost impossible to determine if he was awake or not. There was nothing else suspicious about the man's appearance. His leather briefcase rested at his feet in front of him. His arms were folded across his chest. To any spectator, he looked like an ordinary businessman on a company trip.

Except for the fact that ten minutes ago, he was sitting at least five rows back from where he was now.

Jack sat back in his chair, completely forgetting to refasten his seatbelt. Why would a passenger switch seats on a moving airplane? And why did he seem to be coming closer to them? He looked again. The man hadn't moved a muscle from the position Jack had just seen in him. He was still five rows behind them.

The bathroom door opened and closed from the back of the plane. A few seconds later, Jerry walked down the aisle next to them and picked up his cards from where he had left them in his seat, then sat down and resumed his game of cards with Eddie like it was nothing.

"What took you so long?" Eddie asked.

"Had extra business to take care of," Jerry explained.

"Oh."

Jack's thoughts were interrupted as Kim unbuckled her seatbelt and started to stand up. "Sorry, Jack, I need to get my iPhone from my bag. Mind if I squeeze past you?" she asked.

"Go ahead," Jack said mindlessly, not even pausing to consider the question.

Kim carefully slipped past him and into the aisle. She reached up, opened the overhead compartment, and started to unzip her backpack.

Jack had a cautionary feeling and felt as if he should check on the suspicious man again, to see if he'd moved at all. He began to pop his head into the aisle, but hesitated. He thought if he stuck his head out again, the other passengers would think it was weird if the same boy looked at them for the second time. He quickly came up with another idea.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?" Jack asked Kim, who was still struggling with her backpack.

Kim smiled, as if she knew this was coming all along. "Of course, Jack," she said, not even looking down. "What is it?"

"Look towards the back of the plane," Jack told her.

"Why?"

"Just look back there," Jack repeated.

Kim sighed and stopped fumbling with her bag, but kept her hands on it. She looked down the aisle, leaning her head back to look further down, and then returned her gaze to Jack. "What is it?" she asked.

Jack lowered his voice. "This is going to sound weird, awkward, and somewhat creepy, but by chance do you see a dark-skinned man in a suit with sunglasses and a briefcase back there?"

Kim glanced back down the plane and then at the passengers around them. "Yeah, why?"

Jack's heart rate sped up. "Where is he?"

Kim laughed. "You're joking, right?" She pulled out her iPhone from the compartment. "You haven't noticed him yet? He's sitting right behind you."

Jack's heart just about stopped. His eyes widened.

Kim stopped zipping up her backpack when she noticed Jack's expression. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Jack snapped out of his trance and looked at her. "Why do you ask that?"

Kim closed the overhead compartment with a gentle _click_. "Well, other than the fact that your eyeballs were the size of golf balls, which I assumed from that you were scared."

"It's nothing," Jack said instantly.

"You always say that," Kim sighed, edging past Jack and sitting back in her seat. "It's impossible to get a straight answer from you."

The man behind them silently listened to their conversation. The boy was onto him. He, among all people, noticed him moving up. He instantly regretted taking this job. The target knew he was up to something. He began to question the sketchy job description his employer gave him. Who in their right mind would want to murder a boy by throwing him out of the plane and pretend it was an accident? His employer had assured him of the boy's importance to be dead to them, but the only reason he took the job was for the money.

He fingered the small remote in his pocket and ran his finger over the single button on it. According to his employer, this would send out an electromagnetic pulse powerful enough to short out all methods of control for the plane and send it into a dive. Then, in the confusion, he would grab the boy, blast the emergency exit, throw him out, and pretend as if he was sucked out during the chaos. It seemed easy enough when explained to him.

He had already set the explosive on the emergency exit door when he was sitting nine rows back from where he was now. All that he had to do now was push the button to activate the pulse, wait for pandemonium to break out, then dispose of his target.

He didn't hesitate. He quickly pushed the button while keeping the remote concealed in his pocket.

The signal immediately shorted out all navigation and control of the plane.

The plane went into a sudden dive, throwing every passenger from side to side as turbulence rocked the vehicle. The lights on the plane blinked on and off at irregular intervals as the gray interior of clouds whipped past as seen through the window. Like many others, Jack was forcibly ejected out of his seat sideways into the aisle. He hit the chair opposite him headfirst. His vision grew fuzzy, and his body went limp.

The man acted swiftly once he saw Jack thrown out of his seat. Leaping out of his seat with perfect timing, he landed on his feet next to Jack and immediately seized the armrest of the nearest chair with his hand for stability. He leaned down and made sure Jack was unresponsive. When he was satisfied that he wouldn't be resisting, he gripped Jack's wrist and started to pull him upwards and back, towards the door. Casting a quick glance at the girl sitting next to him, he was relieved when he saw that she was too busy squeezing her eyes shut and holding on to the armrest to notice him.

The passengers paid no mind to them. The sudden dive had commanded their attention. Some people had fallen out of their seats and were rolling down the cabin's now tilted floor. Some struggled to refasten their seatbelts as the plane started to spin out of control.

The unexpected spin threw the man off balance. For a brief second, he let go of Jack, but before Jack could fall, the man then refastened his grip on him, wrapping his arm around and clinging to the chair next to him with his free arm. The plane was sideways as the plane went into a complete ninety-degree nosedive. All the passengers rolling in the aisle dropped twenty rows to the front and bottom of the cabin.

Jack, dangling high above what was now the floor, was unconscious. He couldn't see anything, or hear his friends screaming as the plane plummeted.

The man expertly but slowly climbed up the chairs towards the emergency exit using one hand and his legs. The plane unexpectedly leveled as the pilots in the cockpit fought for control of the airplane, and both of them landed on the floor. But the trouble was far from over. Passengers were still distracted as turbulence shook the plane fiercely.

The emergency exit was still a few yards away. The man dragged Jack closer. Closer to death.

The man released his grip on Jack briefly to take out a second black remote, and when he pressed the only button on it, the exit door exploded, taking a part of the wall with it. The man immediately grabbed two seat armrests on different sides of the aisle and held on for his life. The pressure was intense. It ripped entire seats out of the plane. Unknowing passengers were sucked out into empty air to drop for a few thousand feet.

The man held the chairs tightly. His feet were off the ground as the air sought to pull him out. Tightening his hold on the chairs, he looked around for his quarry, and spotted Jack underneath the seats in the row next to him. The metal strut that connected the chair to the floor was the only thing preventing Jack from being forced out of the plane. The man stretched his leg over to the row and started to kick the connector in hopes of bending or breaking it. To his satisfaction, between the pressure and his kicks, it started to bend, with Jack powerless to stop it.

Unexpectedly, baggage from the front of the plane cascaded down through the aisle towards the gaping hole.

The man didn't count on the baggage from the front being drawn out. He didn't have time to react to the change in plan. Dozens of bags going at least ten miles an hour slammed into him. They rained on his head, arms, and hands, wearing down his grip on the handles. Eventually, he couldn't take it. His hands slipped from the armrest and he was sucked out without mercy or so much as a second thought.

As the baggage was sucked outside, a backpack that was heading outside hit the opposite row of chairs, ricocheted into the row Jack was in and hit him on the head, jolting him awake. His vision cleared and he had less than a second to react and grab hold of the seats in front of him as the seat he was under was torn outside. His feet cleared the ground as he fought to pull himself up. He knew he had to hurry up. He could already feel the seat bending backwards, about to be sucked out. He had a boost of strength and was able to climb up so he was standing on the chair. He began to climb the row in front of him, just barely managing to grab the headrest with one hand as the row behind him was sucked outside. He dangled from one hand, close to being drawn outside. Outside the window next to him, he could see lakes, forests, and plains. They were alarmingly close to the bottom of the plane.

They were going to crash.

The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom, a bad signal but with the words still discernible. "Brace for impact!"

Jack didn't even feel the crash. He didn't feel anything. He was too busy falling to notice.

**There you go! I hope you guys like it! Will update soon but not too soon. Thanks for your support!**

**-To Glory**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter for you guys. There's not much action in this chapter, just thought I'd let you know. I decided to make a chapter that's sort of a cool-off time for the characters, to include the more passive elements of a story rather than active. Anyways, here's the chapter. Enjoy, comment, and stay tuned for more. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It. All rights go to Disney Channel and other respected owner(s).**

Jack sat next to the warm fire, huddled into a ball to conserve warmth as he endured the cold chills that ran down his spine. He tried not to shiver as the cold breeze tugged at his clothes. It had long fallen night since the plane crash. He shuddered, fighting back memories of that horrifying incident. To be honest, he could hardly believe himself he was alive. It had taken him a while to convince himself that he wasn't dead.

Images started to flash like lightning from behind his closed eyes. Images he wished he'd never see. Now he couldn't erase them from his mind. They played over and over as if they were being projected on an infinite loop onto the back of his eyelids.

He saw a young couple being ejected from the plane.

He saw Jerry, Eddie, and Milton, some of his best friends, hanging on to their seats for dear life, screaming as the plane plummeted towards the ground.

He saw Kim, all alone in the aisle, her eyes squeezed shut, mentally holding on to a hand that wasn't there for her.

Jack recalled how Kim had found him, not dead but not in the greatest shape. He had been lying, unmoving, in a shallow ditch. He wasn't breathing, didn't have a pulse, his heart wasn't beating, and he bled profusely from a cut on his side. He remembered how several hours later he had woken up in a grassy clearing surrounded by beautiful and tall bamboo trees; in a campsite that Kim had built herself, consisting of a modest fire made out of flames flickering in a pile of a branches and dried leaves. He remembered waking up and seeing how worried she really was about him. She had just about squeezed all breath out of him in the hug she gave him when she saw he was fine.

Kim had left to gather some more firewood a few minutes earlier. Jack had offered to go instead of her, but she had refused, saying he needed to rest, even though she herself was also hurt.

Jack let his mind wander, and he ended up thinking about where he would be without Kim. Without her truly unique advice, her support, her thoughtfulness, her caring personality. He carefully pressed the gash on his side that he had gotten from scraping against a jagged shard of the plane as he was drawn outside, and fingered the makeshift bandage made out of leaves that Kim had put on it. Without her, he would have certainly been dead by now.

He realized how lucky he was to have her. She was a great friend, always full of energy and doing what she could to cheer him up. But what he truly realized after his near-death experience was how much he wanted her to be more than a friend to him. His heart ached with the thought of being just friends for the rest of their lives. Watching her fall in love with someone else, watching from the sidelines as "just a friend". He desperately wanted to be so much more, but he was too shy to talk about his feelings around her.

Kim walked into the clearing, holding a pile of branches. She noticed Jack curled up in a ball, looking off into empty space. "You okay?" she asked, setting the new wood down in an already-made pile.

"Not really," Jack said. He arms were sore. His legs were cramped from trying to conserve body heat. His head felt like mush.

Kim tossed a piece of wood aimlessly into the fire. "Normally, I'd say getting an actual answer besides your usual one would be a good thing, but this hasn't really been a normal day."

"I'm better than some, I guess," Jack corrected.

"Are you referring to the people who were ejected before the actual crash?"

"Partly," Jack said. He wasn't really thinking his answers through. "And also the people who died during the actual crash."

Kim used her foot to turn a charred piece of wood in the fire over on its side. "That wasn't your fault."

She didn't know the whole story. She had no idea how it almost was his fault.

"I know," Jack sighed. "But I can't help but feel like I could have done something more."

Kim gave him a 'get real' look that she had perfected. "There's nothing you could have done."

Jack didn't reply. He stared absent-mindedly into the fire.

Kim's expression softened a little when she saw his melancholy and unresponsive attitude. She slowly walked to Jack and lightly sat down next to him, crossing her legs. When he didn't react, she playfully tagged his hand. When he still gave no sign of recognition, she groaned. "Come on. Lighten up," she said, elbowing him gently.

"Sorry," Jack said, his eyes coming back into focus as he relaxed his legs from their previously uncomfortable position.

Kim edged closer to him. "Are you worrying about the guys? I'm sure they're fine. Rudy's probably already set up camp for the four of them already."

"I want to believe that," Jack said, even though that wasn't the biggest thing on his mind. Truthfully, he didn't even know what was. He felt completely incapable of thinking of things on a large scale.

Kim looked at him disbelievingly, another look she had just about gotten down.

"You're right. I bet they're fine," he said, but it obviously sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her.

Kim scooted closer so they were touching shoulder to shoulder. "They're fine," she assured him. "There's nothing you could have done that you haven't done yet."

Also wrong.

What he could have done. The plane. That experience. The heart-stopping moments of pure fear.

He jumped like he was waking up from a horrible nightmare. His sudden movement startled Kim, who recoiled quick as a flash and sat up straight.

"Sorry," Jack said, trying to relax once again. "I just can't get those images from today out of my head."

"I don't think anyone could if they tried," Kim said, her words unknowingly bringing a cold reality to the conversation. She pressed closer to Jack and shivered. "It's so cold out here, even with the fire and everything."

Jack didn't notice that she wasn't wearing a jacket, only a black sleeveless shirt. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail that she had made earlier after the crash and her skin felt cold to the touch. She looked paler than her normal complexion. He suddenly had an instinctive feeling as if her comfort was more important than his own, as if it was his duty to keep her warmer than him. "You want my jacket?" he offered, quickly slipping out of his jacket and holding it out to her. "It's not that thick, but it'll keep you warmer than you already are."

Kim pushed it back towards him and turned her head away. "Thanks, but no thanks. You're going to need it when it gets colder later on. And trust me, it will."

"It's okay," Jack said. "I'm not that cold." He was lying. The cold seemed to freeze over every working joint in his body.

"You will be," Kim said.

Jack shook his head. "I'm not taking no for an answer. Here." He draped the jacket around her shoulders.

Kim relaxed her shoulders as Jack wrapped his jacket around her. Without warning, she leaned up and gave Jack a quick peck on the cheek – one that didn't last more than a second, and was clearly intended as only a friendly gesture. It was obvious that she wasn't expecting him to give it to her even though she said not to. It was obvious that she wanted him to have it more than him but accepted it when he gave it to her anyway. "Thanks, Jack," she said sincerely, smiling at him – a nice, sweet smile. "That was really sweet of you. Are you sure you're not going to be cold?" Her tone quickly changed to concerned.

"I'm fine." The unexpected kiss had warmed him up. It coursed like a pleasant fire from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. It was the greatest feeling in the world, and he was sure even a hundred jackets couldn't make him warmer than he already was now.

Kim looked at him worriedly. "You're not cold at all? Do you have an extra jacket or shirt?"

"Not exactly," Jack admitted.

"Me either," Kim said wistfully. "But I really appreciate your thoughtfulness," she said, gently leaning on him.

Jack nodded. He wasn't paying attention to Kim's words very much. He was too busy considering whether or not he should tell Kim about his feelings for her. He carefully weighed the advantages and disadvantages of each. He had just about made up his mind but there was one thing stopping him. He didn't know if she felt the same way. He thought about if he was going to tell her. It seemed to be the perfect moment. They were side by side, pressed against each other, looking at a fire that was slowly flickering out.

He was still pondering the decision when Kim piped up.

"Well, if we're going to get up early," she said, "we better get to sleep."

"Yeah," Jack said, realizing the truth of the words but wishing he hadn't.

Kim scooted over a few feet to give Jack some room and laid down in the grass. "Night, Jack," she said, turning over on her side.

"Night," Jack said. He felt too awake to sleep. The words he was about to say lingered unpleasantly in his mouth like acid. He looked over at Kim, who was facing away from him. He toyed with the thought of waking her up just to tell her, but he decided against it. He wished more than ever now that he had gotten up the nerve to tell Kim. He never really felt the negative effects until after the moment was over and he still hadn't spoken a word. Now he would have to wait more. Shrugging off the thought as best as he could, he laid on his back, looking up at the stars. Slowly but surely, he drifted off to sleep.

Unknowingly to him, Kim, with her back to him, was wide awake, keeping her breathing calm and even as to give no hint that she was still awake. She didn't feel the least bit drowsy. A million thoughts were going through her head, keeping her alert better than cold water splashed on her face. She had a thousand things she had wanted to say in the moment, but she had ended up not saying them.

She just didn't know if he felt the same way.

**Hope you guys enjoyed it! Some romance implications in here, but more of Jack/Kim pairings coming up in later chapters. Will update in 1-3 days. During those days, possibly will edit previous chapters. Until then, keep on reading/writing.**

**-To Glory**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted. I know it's been four days, but I've had technical difficulties with life so far. Anyway, enough about my life. Here's the next chapter, Chapter 4! Hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It. All rights go to Disney Channel and other respected owner(s).**

Jack woke up, his back pressed against the cool grass. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the morning sky, orange red while being illuminated with the early sunlight. He lay there, unmoving, feeling quite relaxed despite his conditions.

He heard a bird call from next to him. He angled his head, trying to locate the origin of the chirp while trying to move as little as possible. While roaming the trees around him, his eyes quickly found a black and red bird perched high above the ground on a thin branch extending from a bamboo tree, seizing the branch with the claws on its stilt-like legs to keep its balance next to a little bird nest filled with, from what he assumed from the chirping, baby birds. A faint smile played on his lips. It comforted him in a way to know that even though it may not hold true for them in particular, at least life was normal for most living creatures.

Jack glanced over at Kim, who had turned over sometime during the night and was now lying on her back. Her chest rose and fell in a rhythmic manner, and her eyes were closed, looking very peaceful. He couldn't help but remember the previous night and his inability to speak his mind.

Jack sat up, casting out the thoughts of the last night while stretching out his stiff joints. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and clearing his vision the best he could, he noticed that the fire, once blazing, had been reduced to a heap of glowing red embers. The pile of firewood that sat next to it had been cut down to a few twigs lying on top of each other. Kim must have added new wood to the fire while he slept.

He should probably get more firewood, he thought. Who knows, they might be here for days – even weeks – on end. The odds of that possibility scared Jack. He wondered how long they could survive out here in the forest by themselves. They had no bags, no shelter, and they hadn't had anything to eat since they stopped by a pizza place while they were still at the airport.

Jack wondered if he should wake up Kim to tell him that he's leaving temporarily, but he decided against it. She looked too deep in sleep to be woken up suddenly just to be told that he was going out. He would be back quickly enough, he thought. Hopefully, he'd be back before she woke up at all.

Making his way to his feet, he crossed the clearing, avoiding stepping on Kim and the fire, and ducked under a hanging tree branch that shadowed the edge of the clearing as he exited their campsite. He took a deep breath, inhaling in the fresh morning air. So far, this hadn't been the best introduction to Japan, but at least the country had supplied good weather as long as they were there. The sky was surprisingly clear in most areas, it being early in the morning, and the orange sun hung just above the horizon, lightly shadowed by clouds but still managing to bathe every inch of exposed land in yellow orange sunlight.

Slowly, Jack took a walk through the bamboo forest in a semicircle, picking up spare pieces of wood that were still dry and untouched by the morning dew. All the while, he was constantly making sure to keep the camp in sight. He guessed that there was more wood further away from the camp, but he didn't want to risk getting lost by himself. He doubted an armful of wood would keep him alive for even a single night.

As he bent to pick up a few twigs that he had almost trampled underfoot, he noticed a black mesh lying at his feet, circling his feet while spreading further around him, crisscrossing the ground in a peculiar fashion. Intrigued, his eyes followed the elaborately webbed mesh forwards, through a spot of grass, skirting around a rock, and continuing for a few yards until he saw the outwards edges of the rope attached to a single, taut, thick cord, running up the shoot of a bamboo tree to be tied firmly around a spot in the branches. Puzzled, he let his eyes dart around the clearing, and he saw three other cords running up bamboo trees in a similar fashion. Then it hit him. This wasn't any ordinary piece of rope that had been tied to a tree and then overlooked. It was a net.

It was a trap.

Moving as quickly as he could, Jack leaped for the edge of the net, trying to escape being caught in the trap. But it reacted as soon as his feet left the ground, shooting off the ground like lightning. Jack was relatively fast, but the trap was just a little bit faster. It missed his body completely, but managed to clip his foot as it passed over the end of the net, hooking his shoe and dragging him upwards with it, leaving him to dangle at least seven or eight feet off the ground. The tips of his outstretched hands barely managed to touch the grass beneath him.

Soon enough, Jack started to feel the blood rush quickly to his head, and he started to feel light-headed. Thinking quickly, he reached up and made a grab for the net, which had already wrapped itself around his shoe, but only managed to swipe thin air and came out empty-handed. Trying again, he reached for the net a second time. The net swayed from side to side with every movement, preventing him from getting a firm handhold on the webbed rope. He had to think of another way to get his foot loose.

He spotted a rock with fairly jagged edges sitting on the ground right next to his hand, and the thought of cutting himself loose with it popped into his mind. He reached for it, and barely skimmed it with the tips of his fingers. Making another lunge for it, he seized it with his left hand and started to lift it up to try to sever the rope section that held his foot firmly while limiting his movement. He started to scrape the rock back and forth against the rope, and watched in satisfaction as it started to bite through the cord. With a snap, it suddenly split into two separate halves.

Nothing. No reaction. He must have cut the wrong rope.

Quickly, Jack severed another rope with a quick and fast blow from the rock, wielding it like a knife, and he hung in the air for a split second before he was dropped to the ground on his back, the rock tumbling away from him in an odd rolling fashion. The fall had knocked the wind out of him. He sat there for a second, trying to catch his breath. Above him, the net, once whole, now had a hole in it from where he cut himself free. With an extreme amount of effort, he managed to unsteadily make his way to his feet. Casting a last glance at the suspended net, he stumbled back towards their campsite.

He entered the grassy clearing, looking around the spacious area. Nothing had changed at first notice. Kim was still on the ground asleep, and the fire, however minimal, was still alive, lightly glowing. By then, he saw no need for the fire's light or warmth at that moment. The sun illuminated their surroundings well and warmed up the area.

Jack took a seat by the fire and let his mind wander to random subjects. He thought back to the trap, how elaborately it had been set up. It seemed to be more intentional than accidental, and he seriously doubted any wildlife could have unintentionally tied a net to four trees. Then, a thought hit him; a thought that he realized he should have known earlier. Only a human could have had the knowledge and capability to set that trap! That meant that there were two possibilities: that there was a hunter in the forest, or that there was at least one survivor from the crash. He hoped that Eddie, Jerry, Milton, and Rudy were the ones who had set it up. He hoped that they were still alive.

Behind him, Jack heard Kim stir, then sit up. "Morning, Jack," she said cheerfully, shrugging off Jack's jacket that was still wrapped around her. "How'd you sleep?"

"Considering we had just gone through the most terrifying day of our lives?" Jack asked. "Okay, I guess."

"That's good," Kim said, running her fingers through her hair like a makeshift comb.

"Hey, Kim," Jack started to say, mind going back to the trap in the forest.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know of any definite survivors of the plane crash? Like anyone you know that lived for a fact?"

"Not especially," Kim said. "Why?"

"I saw a trap back there," Jack said, pointing a finger in the general direction that he had come from. "It was too complex to be accidental; only a human could have made it.

"And you think that a survivor must have set it up?" Kim asked, pausing her hair combing to study Jack.

"I guess," Jack said. "That's the only reasonable solution."

"Well, I have to admit, that's pretty weird," Kim concluded, "but in reality, and I'm not trying to be the pessimistic one, if they set it up that close to the camp, don't you think they would have seen us or the smoke from the fire and come to investigate? After all, we'd need to survive together or not at all."

Jack shrugged, but Kim's argument had made a lot of sense to him.

"What were you doing back there anyway?" Kim asked. "Not that I'm scolding you or anything."

"Gathering firewood," Jack explained.

Kim looked at the fire, then moved her gaze to the pile of wood next to it. "Doesn't seem like the stock has increased," she observed.

"Oh," Jack said, realizing that she was correct. "Right." In the aftermath of his encounter with the net, he must have forgotten to pick up the wood he had unknowingly dropped.

Kim nodded, even though his answer was partially incomplete. "What kind of trap was it?" she asked.

"A net trap. It raises off the ground when you step on it," Jack answered.

"Show me."

Jack led her out of the campsite to the upraised net, which hung empty and ominously in midair. "Well, it definitely looks like it was made by a human," she commented, walking down its length and observing it.

Jack heard an odd rustling from behind him. It sounded like someone or something was moving through the forest.

"Did you hear that?" he asked Kim.

"Hear what?"

He paused, holding up a finger for silence. Once again, he heard the rustling, except louder and seemingly closer. "That," he said.

"I don't hear anything," Kim repeated.

Suddenly, the ambiguous rustling changed to the sounds of creatures on the warpath as they clearly heard something jump from a position high in a tree behind them, aiming to land squarely on Jack's shoulders. At the edges of the clearing, three human figures who had been disguised as bushes suddenly stood up and assumed a fighting position, encircling Jack and Kim.

It was an ambush.

Instinctively, Jack whipped around and lashed out at the jumper with a powerful spinning back kick as the three other camouflaged ambushers simultaneously ran straight for them. His foot connected with his ambusher's side, batting him away into a bush.

One of the other three opponents came right for Jack, while the other two went for Kim. He ducked under his opponent's first swing, then blocked another two punches before they could connect. As his adversary quickly came in for another attack aimed at his head, Jack ducked underneath the swing and brought his right knee up to strike his enemy in the chest, causing him to drop his guard while also sending him staggering backwards. Jack swiftly followed-up with a front kick to his opponent's head, knocking his enemy airborne before he landed hard on his back.

The enemy who Jack had knocked away threw a side kick at him. Jack intercepted his foot in midair and shoved it roughly to one side, causing his opponent to lose his balance and collapse to hands and knees.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Kim fighting off the other ambushers. He considered helping her for a brief moment, but it didn't seem like she needed his help very much. She already had one attacker lying on the ground and the other one fairly outmatched.

The opponent Jack had unbalanced regained his composure and came at him in a whirlwind of expert punches and kicks. Each was perfectly coordinated, in perfect timing and harmony with the previous ones. It took all of Jack's reflexive defense not to get hit by any of his blow. They pummeled his guard from every direction imaginable. Whoever they were, they knew karate well.

Eventually, after one of his opponent's right punches was stopped by Jack's block, he flashed a quick and high front kick aimed directly at Jack's face. Instinctively, Jack sidestepped his kick and jabbed a fast but strong punch into his enemy's side, sending him reeling away in pain.

Jack immediately realized that something was wrong. That was too instinctive, too easy. Despite his brain telling him it was purely his reflexes, his gut gave him a different feeling. That was too simple. He felt like he had known prematurely what to do. Like he had been practicing the counterattack against that exact move for a while.

In that moment, memories began to surface in his subconscious, all related to the counter move Jack had just employed. He remembered sparring sessions, karate practices, training. He remembered a dojo and its teacher – a third degree black belt, who had taught him many karate moves and responses. And in that instant, he knew who his attacker really was.

"Rudy?" Jack asked.

Immediately, he was forced to react as his opponent unexpectedly lunged back into the fight for another series of attacks. Jack dodged a punch. "Rudy, stop!" he said. He blocked a series of roundhouse kicks. "Seriously, quit it!" He sidestepped a perfectly executed crescent kick. "Rudy, it's me, Jack!" he shouted.

His attacker instantly stopped, Jack's words bringing him to an abrupt halt. Rudy peered through the foliage that covered his face. He knew that name. He inspected the person he was fighting. He knew that face. He cross-referenced it to a mental image of Jack in his mind, and soon realized that his opponent was telling the truth. He really was his friend. "Jack!" Rudy exclaimed. "You're alive!"

The conflict between them was at a standstill, each staring at the other, both unable to process it in their minds. Suddenly, they were forced to snap out of their trance as the sounds of combat continued from behind them. Kim was still fighting.

"Kim! Stop!" Jack said to Kim.

"Jerry, stop, man!" Rudy shouted. "This is Jack and Kim!"

The two froze mid-attack and both looked at Jack and Rudy, who were no longer fighting. However, the two were still in a fighting stance, clenched fists at the ready for another punch. Jack gestured at Kim, and she quickly dropped her hand, looking rather abashed.

Kim's enemy spoke. Under all the camouflage, Jack realized that it was really Jerry. "Jack! You're alive!" he said. His tone made it obvious that he didn't expect to find him still breathing. He quickly corrected himself. "What I meant to say was I never doubted you, man."

"You lie," said Rudy indignantly.

Jerry soon forgot all about his fight with Kim and walked over to Jack. "We didn't think we'd ever see you again, man!"

"The feeling's mutual," Kim said, assuming a casual stance.

"Is that good or bad?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Kim said teasingly, smiling playfully at him.

"Yes. Yes, I would."

Kim rolled her eyes. Next to them, the other ambushers stirred from their position, sprawled on the ground. Jack realized that they must be Eddie and Milton. His heart leaped for joy at finding all of them alive and safe. "Sorry, guys," Jack apologized. "I didn't exactly know who you were at the moment."

"It's cool," said Eddie from below him. "Just try… try not to do that again." He struggled to his feet, holding his head in the spot Jack had kicked him in. Milton didn't move at all.

"Ah, man, we better help Milton," Jerry said, gesturing towards the crumpled heap that was Milton. "He looks like he's out cold."

"I didn't throw him that hard," Kim said defensively.

"You threw him ten feet! Besides, he's got weak bones," Jerry said. "They snap like this." He pantomimed snapping a twig for emphasis. "Eddie, give me a hand and help me get him back to camp."

"Alright."

"You guys have a camp?" Jack asked Rudy.

"Oh yeah," Rudy said proudly.

"Where is it?" Kim asked.

"About half a mile that way," Rudy said, pointing away from their camp deeper into the woods. "It's a good place. It's got a campfire, a running stream, the works. We've got everything of ours we could scavenge from the plane in there. Including food and other necessities."

"Cool," Kim said. They stood in silence, watching as Jerry and Eddie dragged Milton off into the woods.

Jack decided to break the ice. "Why'd you guys attack us? You guys didn't recognize us?"

"Not especially," Rudy admitted. "Jerry convinced us to disguise ourselves. Unfortunately, that came at the cost of our sight. We thought you were hunters. Milton thought it would be best to scare you off. You know, so you wouldn't bother us. Besides, why were you guys out here? Do you guys have somewhere to stay?"

"Yeah," Kim said. "It's right over there, in that clearing." She pointed to their campsite, not ten yards away.

Rudy turned around to look at where Kim was pointing. "Oh, there," he said. "You guys should join our camp," he suggested. "We've got the proper food and shelter, and besides you guys look famished. By the way, back to my previous question. Why are you guys out here, away from your campsite?"

"Oh, I was showing Kim your guys' animal trap," Jack explained, pointing to the suspended net that hung above their heads. "I thought it had to be manmade. Kim agreed with me."

Rudy looked up at the hanging net and studied it. "Yeah, that's definetly manmade," he concluded. "But this wasn't made to trap animals."

"What?" Jack asked.

"This?" Rudy asked. "This is too complex. The ropes are thicker, which means it was made to suspend more weight than the local animals can provide. This trap was definitly made to ensnare humans."

"How do you know that?" Jack wondered out loud.

"Milton," Kim and Rudy said at the exact same time.

"You'd be surprised at how much he knows about trapping," Rudy said. "Anyway, back to the discussion. This was made too close to your guy's camp for comfort. You said only Jack left the camp the first time?"

"Yeah," Jack confirmed.

"Weird," Rudy said.

"What is it?" Kim asked.

"This was made to trap humans," Rudy started to explain. "It's very close to your camp. Whoever set it up knew only one of you was coming out; he knew that Jack was coming out. And he set the trap exactly here."

"What're you getting at?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, and what do you mean by 'whoever set it up?'" Kim asked. "Isn't this yours? Why would you guys want to trap humans in the first place?"

"About that…" Rudy started.

"Yeah?" Jack prompted.

"This isn't ours. Someone else made it… to trap _you_."

**There you guys are! I tried to leave it at a suspenseful moment best I could. Anyway, will update soon! I've limited myself to updating at the least every day and at the very most 6-7 days. Until Chapter 5 is up, keep reading and writing my friends.**

**-To Glory**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! How's it going? Anyway, so I finished Chapter 5! Chapter Cinco! (I think I spelled that right). Anywho, here's the chap I promised you guys! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It. All rights go to Disney Channel and other respected owner(s).**

Jack walked side by side with Kim as they silently continued to follow Rudy deeper and deeper into the bamboo forest. The sun was almost at its peak in the sky as the three made its way through the maze of trees. Rudy had claimed for their camp to be only half a mile away, but it seemed to Jack like they had been walking for at least an hour, much of which was spent tripping over rocks and branches. They trudged through the forest wearily, following a small and narrow dirt path through the forest.

"Rudy?" Kim asked, sounding almost out of breath. "How far did you say your camp was again?"

"About half a mile from the trap you guys found," said Rudy from up ahead, strolling through the woods in a jaunty skip. He had discarded his camouflage earlier, and was now outpacing them both with his unpredictable walk. They had to walk faster to keep up with him and prevent losing sight of him. But when he thought about it, it was pretty hard to lose a bouncing yet short adult in the middle of a Japanese bamboo forest.

"It seems farther than half a mile," Jack commented, stepping over a rock carefully.

"Oh, it's not that far," Rudy said. "We're almost there, anyway."

"He's lying," Kim whispered to Jack. "I think we're lost."

"I hope not," Jack said, "because this would be a bad time to get lost."

"I know, right?" Kim agreed.

"I heard that," Rudy said. "We're not lost. Trust me."

"Oops," Jack said. "Too loud. Sorry."

Rudy shot him an indiscernible look over his shoulder. "Anyway, contrary to some people's thoughts, here we are," Rudy announced as they entered a large swath of land, estimated at about an acre long. A much more sophisticated campfire than the one they had sat right in the middle of the site. Water, presumably from a river, flowed through a man-made trench in the rightmost edge of the area. A large red tent with the entrance facing towards them sat right next to the fire. Baggage was lined up neatly within an arm's reach of the tent's entrance.

"Nice place," Kim admitted.

"I know, right?" Rudy said. "We've got everything we need to survive in here. Every necessity you can imagine is here."

Jack whistled in admiration, doing a complete turn to take in the entire site. "No kidding. They even build fires better than you do, Kim."

Kim made a face at him and elbowed him in the stomach.

"Ow. Uh, I was kidding," Jack corrected hastily.

"How long did it take you guys to set this whole thing up?" Kim asked, ignoring Jack.

"About an hour or two," Rudy replied. "Another half an hour and we would have frozen to death out here. Man, Japan is turning out to be cold."

"My thoughts exactly," Jack said.

"Where'd you get the tent?" Kim asked.

Rudy looked at the tent. "Oh, that tent," he said. "We found it in an emergency box on the plane. Jerry and Eddie set it up. Speaking of Eddie, here he comes now."

Eddie ran up to them, free of his leafy disguise and dressed in normal, everyday clothes. "Hey guys!" he said enthusiastically.

"Hey Eddie," Kim and Jack said in perfect unison.

"How have you guys doing?" Eddie asked.

"Well, we're still here, so we must be doing pretty well," Jack said. "What about you?"

"Okay," Eddie remarked. "Anyway, here are your guys' bags." He handed each of them their backpacks in turn. "They were surprisingly undamaged from the crash. Jerry found them in the compartment above us."

"Cool!" Kim exclaimed, taking her bag from Eddie with one hand. She quickly unzipped it and took a quick peek inside. When she had overviewed its contents, she zipped it back up. "Thank you so much!" She gave Eddie a quick hug then drew back, beaming at him.

Eddie was somewhat taken aback by her excited reaction. "Um… okay?" he said blankly. He nodded at Jack, turned around, and walking off as in he was in a coma.

Jack watched him wander off to nowhere. "You didn't give me a hug when I gave you my jacket," he said teasingly.

"Wasn't a kiss enough for you?"

"Only if you think it was."

"Yes, I do think it was."

Rudy stood next to them quietly, shifting from one foot to another awkwardly. When he was satisfied that he had their attention again, he pointed to the baggage line. "You guys can put all your items in the baggage pile right next to the tent," he said.

"Oh, okay. Cool," Jack said.

Rudy started to walk off, then wheeled back around as he remembered something. "Oh, by the way, do you guys need anything to eat?"

"That sounds good right now," Jack conceded.

Kim nodded in agreement. "Is it alright if I head over to the river to wash my hands really quick?" she asked.

"Feel free," Rudy said. "Anything that we have you can use." He looked at both of them, trying to seem serious. "Within reason, of course."

"Of course," Jack said.

Rudy clapped his hands together. "Right. Well, I'll get something out." Another thought struck him. "Oh, that reminds me of something I need to do. Jack, could you give me a hand in setting up one of our animal traps now, before you eat?"

"Sure," Jack said.

"Awesome. Follow me. It's just over here, past these trees." He pointed at the edge of the clearing.

Rudy led Jack out of the campsite and into the forest, at least fifty feet away from the campsite. He stopped at a large bamboo shoot that had been hung horizontally three feet off the ground by four large ropes. One rope, attached to the end, dangled limply above the ground, not tied to anything. "Just grab that end," he said, pointing to the end of the shoot, "and help me tie it up here."

Jack pushed his end of the shoot with enough force so that the other end was lifted higher. Rudy grabbed a hold of the untied cord.

"Just hold it nice and steady while I tie this end up here," he said.

They never saw a cloaked and hooded archer quickly begin scale a tall bamboo tree behind them.

"So, Jack," Rudy started to say, climbing onto a rock and reaching into the branches of a tree to tie the cord around, "what was that kiss Kim was talking about earlier?"

"Oh, that?" Jack asked, forcing a smile off his face as he remembered the moment the previous night. "Just a kiss. No big deal."

Rudy didn't take his eyes off the knot he was tying for even a second. "Come on," he said. "Any kiss between you and Kim certainly is a big deal." Unexpectedly, Rudy's foot slipped off the rock he was on. Unbalanced, Rudy landed awkwardly on the forest floor.

"You okay?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rudy said, slowly starting to get up. Regaining his footing, he climbed the rock and continued to tie the rope up.

Behind them, the archer slowly slid an arrow out of his quiver. The archer wasted no time. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a miniscule glass vial containing a green liquid and held it in his gloved hand for a brief second. He uncapped it, slowly poured all of it onto his thumb, and started to coat the head with a green liquid, running his thumb along the smooth metal and smearing the potion onto it.

"What are you saying?" Jack asked. "By 'no big deal', I mean."

Rudy finished tying the knot and quickly stepped down from the rock. "You can let go now, Jack," he said.

Tentatively, Jack released his grip on the end. Surprisingly, the cord on the other side held steady, holding back the log from swinging and nailing Jack in the face.

Rudy took a small thread connected to the cord and ran it through his hands, walking backwards while slowly unwinding it. He quickly tied it to the bamboo tree on the opposite end of the clearing, making a trip wire that hung a foot off the ground and ran across a dirt path. "You and Kim," he said like it was completely obvious. "Everyone knows you two like each other. Even me. Honestly, it's not really a big secret."

"So what's your point?" Jack asked, trying to get the awkward conversation over with.

"Do you?" Rudy asked.

"Do I what?" Jack replied.

"Do you like her?" Rudy repeated.

Jack thought about it. "Do you want the truth, or a lie?"

"If I say lie, will you actually answer it?" Rudy asked hopefully.

"Maybe," Jack said, excessively and unnecessarily lengthening the conversation.

"Forget it," Rudy said in defeat. "I give up."

Jack secretly let out the breath he had been holding. That was a close one. Suddenly, he heard a quiet rustling from behind him. Puzzled, he turned around and scanned the trees behind him.

The hooded archer had finished administering the potion to the arrow. When Jack turned around to look behind him, he quickly crouched on the branch he was on, hiding behind a clump of leaves as not to be spotted.

Rudy finished tying the knot to the tree. "That ought to do it," he said cheerfully. He turned to Jack "Ready to test?"

Jack nodded, tearing his eyes away from the scenery behind him. "Let's do this."

Jack took a position well clear of the estimated path of the log. Rudy chose a spot next to the trip wire, ready to snap it and quickly jump out of the way.

"Are you clear?" Rudy asked.

"I'm good."

Reacting quickly, the archer stood to his feet and took aim, pulling the tail of the arrow back to his cheek. He aimed the arrowhead at Jack, who was now facing towards him.

"Three, two, one…" Rudy counted down.

The archer released his grip on the bowstring. The taut bowstring shot forwards, propelling the arrow towards Jack. He heard a hiss of air next to him and watched in satisfaction as the arrow took off and sailed towards his target. A perfect shot.

But that was when his plan fell apart.

Unexpectedly, the arrow's trajectory joined with the path of the swinging log. Powerless to stop the already-shot arrow or change its direction, the archer watched in horror as the momentum of the arrow, with the full power of a long bow and a conditioned arm behind it, shot forwards – ultimately driving itself into the intercepting log. With a thump, the arrow embedded itself six inches deep in the log.

The would-be assassin cursed silently. He had spent years perfecting the most powerful sleep potion known to man, only for the single potent shot to be wasted by the slightest miscalculation on his part. He ground his teeth together in frustration. Would he never get the child? First the boy eluded his rope trap in the forest, and now, with the knockout arrow a dead end, he would have to report his mission as a failure to his employer. He knew the man who hired him would be very disappointed in him. He had been warned excessively about another killer from another group that was hired to kill the boy. If he didn't capture him, his employer seemed certain that the other would take him away dead. He knew had to watch out for the other killer. He could be anywhere.

Still cursing his poor performance, he retreated, leaping from tree to tree flawlessly and moving away from them faster than an eagle could fly.

Back in the clearing, still standing next to the trap, Rudy and Jack, satisfied by the trap's performance, were about to head back to their campsite when Rudy spotted a jagged mountain out of the corner of his eye. The sight of it jogged something deep down in his memory. "Hang on a second," Rudy said, holding his arm out to stop Jack.

"What is it?" Jack asked, taking his hands out of his pockets.

"That mountain," Rudy said, shading his eyes with his hands as he peered up at it. "I've seen it on a map before."

Jack squinted up at the mountain. The bright sunlight prevented him from seeing the mountain clearly. "I don't see anything strange about it," he commented.

"Not strange," Rudy said. "It's on a map. Here, look."

Rudy pulled out a brightly colored map from his back pocket and unfolded it. He pointed to an area in the center of the map. "See here, on this map, there's a mountain shaped exactly like this one." He looked back up at the mountain, then back down at the paper, than glanced at the surrounding forest. He looked back at the map again.

Jack stood by, awkwardly, as Rudy continued to cross-reference their surroundings with the locations on their map.

Suddenly, Rudy slapped the paper in excitement. The sudden sound of his hand smacking the paper made Jack jump.

"What is it?" Jack asked, regaining his dignity.

"Jack, according to this map, we're only half a mile away from the temple!" Rudy announced excitedly, jumping up and down in joy.

"Seriously?" Jack asked. "That's great!"

"Isn't it?" Rudy said gleefully. "Let's get back to our camp and tell the others!"

Jack agreed and started to walk away. Suddenly, he stopped. "Wait a minute," he said, turning around. "Half a mile in real distance or half a mile in Rudy distance?"

"So far, real," Rudy said.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked. "Because you seem to mix up distances quite often."

"What? Me?" Rudy tone made it sound like he had been genuinely offended. "Enough pish-posh. We're wasting time on insignificant matters. Let's get to the camp and pack up." He started to head back for the camp.

"Pish-posh?" Jack asked as Rudy passed him on his way back.

"Shut up and start walking."

They returned to the campsite. Rudy quickly strode to the tent and started to pull the stakes that held it out of the ground one by one at a furious pace. Jerry, who had been sitting by the fire with Eddie and a now-conscious Milton, stood up quickly.

"Whoa man! What are you doing?" he asked, placing his hands protectively over the few remaining stakes. "We just put those in!"

"I'm packing up our camp! What does it look like I'm doing?" Rudy asked. He pushed Jerry aside and dug up the last remaining stakes.

"Why?" Eddie asked curiously from his spot next to him.

"Because," Rudy said impatiently, not slowing his brisk pace, "it turns out we're only half a mile from the temple! Let's get a move on!" He pulled out the metal rods that held the tent up and collapsed them into smaller pieces. "We don't want to miss the dinner feast!"

"Dinner?" Jerry asked, stumped. "It's not even lunch, dude."

"That's, um… irrelevant."

"Irrelevant?"

"You heard me!"

"Where's Kim?" Jack asked, noticing Kim's absence from their group "Still at the river?"

"Kim is right here," Kim called from across the campsite. She was kneeling on the ground, zipping up her backpack. Standing up, she slung the pack over her shoulder. "Did you guys really find the temple?"

"Rudy seems pretty convinced that he has," Jack answered.

"That can't be good," Kim said.

"I know, right?"

"Jack!" came Rudy's imperative voice from behind him. "Let's go!"

Jack looked over. Rudy, holding a few bulging bags in each hand while a few luggages sat at his feet, stared at him imploringly.

"How'd you pack up so fast?" Jack asked, bewildered.

"Does it really matter?" Rudy asked. "Come on!" he repeated.

Jack, Jerry, Eddie, Kim, and Milton followed Rudy out of the clearing. Rudy led them through the forest, following an erratic path through the bamboo trees. Bags in one hand and map in another, he looked a lot like a tour guide, navigating them through the forest. He rarely looked up, but managed to steer himself away from the impending obstacles on the path. After walking for a few more minutes, they reached a long stone stairway.

"Here we are!" Rudy announced. "Pretty awesome, right?"

Jack could hardly see what was awesome about it. The stairs seemed to go for thousands of steps. They winded up the large mountain in front of them, disappearing into the clouds that had gathered earlier.

"Dude, do we seriously have to climb that?" Jerry asked, mouth hanging open as he looked at the stairs.

"If we do, I won't make it," Milton said.

Rudy put on his it's-not-so-bad face. "Come on. It'll go by quickly. Like a great philosopher once said, 'There are no shortcuts to life's greatest achievements'."

"I've got one," Eddie said. "Turn back and rent a helicopter."

"I'm all for turning back," Jerry said. "Let's do what Eddie said. Get a helicopter."

Kim, ignoring them, started up the stairs, running her hand along the stone banister as she slowly ascended the stairway.

"I don't know about you, but I'm following," Rudy said, taking off up the staircase. Reluctantly, the others followed.

They climbed for almost an hour, taking occasional breaks. Kim led the group up the stairs, followed by Rudy, then Jack, then Jerry, Eddie, and Milton.

Soon, they arrived at the top of the stairs; the main temple. As they stood in the stair landing at the top, an open space surrounded, by stone railings, they could clearly see the temple. It was truly a grand sight. Faded stone walls the height of a two-story house surrounded the temple, with central building at least fifty floors high towering above the ground. Smaller, one-story barracks surrounded the main building. Two massive doors flanked the entrance into the courtyard.

Rudy bolted up the steps quicker than any of them. The rest followed, climbing the small flight of steps in awe.

"This place is massive," Eddie said in between gasps for air.

"As are many temples," Milton said, also struggling to catch his breath.

"You guys… go on…" Jerry said. "I'm just going to stay here and faint."

"Come on, man," Eddie said. "We made it. You can relax all you want when we're inside."

"I'll try," Jerry wheezed.

Passing through the open gates, they entered a large courtyard that was surrounded by the living quarters. Panels of light wood hid the rooms from outside sight. A beautiful tree dominated the center of the plaza, its branches reaching out and up to the heavens.

Two men, one older and the other younger, stood in the shadow of the tree, deep in conversation. Both wore long, loose white robes. The older of the two had a long, flowing gray beard that reached his chest level. The younger one, who looked to be in his mid-thirties, had short-cut black hair and a dangerous look. Powerful muscles stood out clearly from under his shirt.

Rudy approached the older of the two. "Excuse me, but is this the-"

The older man cut him off. "You must be the American karate dojo, am I correct?" He spoke English, but his voice held a strong Asian accent.

"That's us," Jerry managed to say.

The man's face lit up, a smile breaking out across his features. "Welcome to Japan! I am called Cheng." He shook Rudy's hand. "I am one of the grand masters here in this temple. This is Ying, one of our finest karate masters." He did a quick introducing gesture to the young man next to him.

Ying looked at them critically, his dark eyes sizing them up as predators size up prey before they go in for the kill. After looking them over, he spoke, his deep voice carried a commanding sense of authority and power in it. "Pardon me, master, but who are they?"

"This is the American karate dojo I spoke of," Cheng said. "They will be staying with us temporarily, to be acquainted with the finer aspects of temple life as lived accordingly to martial arts."

Ying scowled disapprovingly. "Master, with all respect, our hands are already full. We have no time to deal with strangers, with all that's going on-"

Cheng cut him off, raising a single finger to silence him. "We will not speak of that now, and we will not speak of it until their stay here is complete. You will be polite and respectful to them during their visit. Do you understand?"

"Of course."

Cheng nodded. "Better."

Rudy piped up from next to them, looking ridiculously small compared to Ying. "Do you need any identification? Confirmation of our booking here, perhaps?"

Cheng shook his head. "I already know everything I need to know about you." He turned to Ying, who hadn't taken his eyes off of them for a second. "Ying, show them where they will be staying," he ordered. "And not a word about the matter. We will discuss it later."

Ying respectfully bowed to Cheng. He turned to them. "Follow me," he said, obviously trying to be polite. He led them out of the courtyard to the right.

"Enjoy your visit," Cheng called to them.

Ying quickly slid open a paneled door and entered the building. He took them down a long entry hall, lit by elegantly shaped lanterns that hung at regular intervals. He took a sudden left turn halfway down, slid open another door, and let them enter. They were standing in a small, fairly lit room, with two distinct doors on one side of the room and four more on the other.

"Here you are," Ying said. "You will be residing here for the duration of your stay." He pointed to Rudy, Eddie, Milton, and Jerry. "Boys, take the four rooms on the right," he said, gesturing towards the four doors to their right. He looked directly at Jack and Kim. "Girls, you take the left."

Jack thought that it was pointless to mention it, but, like an idiot, he did anyways. "Um, I'm not a girl."

"I know," Ying replied curtly. He started to slowly back away, out into the entry hall, speaking while retreating outside. "The rooms have a bed and a dresser. Being Americans, you should know how to use both. The rooms also have doors linking them to adjacent rooms." He had reached the door and closed his fingers around the edge, but paused. "Oh, and one more thing."

They stopped and looked at him expectantly.

"The grand masters have invited you to a feast tonight in the dining hall. I hope you will honor their invitation by being there. Wear your best." He started to close the door.

"Wait!" Jerry said. Ying stopped, door half closed.

"Where are the showers here?" Jerry asked.

"In the entry hall and to the left," Ying said, continuing to close the door.

"Okay, what time's the feast?"

"Just be there," Ying said quickly. The door slid shut with a gentle click.

They stood in silence for a second. "Well, that guy seemed like he was in a hurry," Milton observed.

"Alright," Rudy said, clapping his hands together and breaking the silence. "Let's unpack and get ready for the feast."

They each entered their rooms. Jack slid open his door and walked in, taking in the furnishings. Ying had been right. A bed was neatly placed against the wall before him, while a dresser was lined up with the wall to his right. The room even had its own distinct odor, smelling faintly of jasmine. He unslung his pack from his shoulders, dropped it onto the bed, and started to unpack, storing his clothes in the dresser's drawers. Judging from the sounds next to him and behind him, it sounded like the rest of the dojo was doing likewise.

Out in the entry hall, man in a loose black robe stood outside, facing the dojo's door, a hood pulled up over his head. Gloved fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. A man dressed in a similar fashion cautiously approached him.

"Sir?" he slowly asked.

The man's neck snapped around to look at him with almost inhuman speed, revealing a black, featureless, and smooth metal mask that completely obscured his face. The other man jumped at his sudden turn. "Sir?" he repeated.

The masked man said nothing, just continued to stare at him, silently urging him to continue.

"Sir, we lost an agent on the plane. The boy escaped our killer on the plane. He is proving to be most resourceful."

"But he can't elude us," the masked man said. "No matter how hard he tries." The masked man turned away from the other man and ran the tips of his gloved fingers over the paneled door that led to the dojo's quarters. "All will proceed as planned."

Behind his back, the man breathed a sigh of relief and simultaneously shuddered. He couldn't have managed to look into his mask for another minute. It made his face completely lack emotion. No smiles, no frowns, not even a single eye slit for him to see through. Even though he knew the mask made him unable to see anything, just the sight of its blank yet dark expression scared him witless. He mustered up the nerve to speak, trying not to stammer.

"Sir, but who do I tell our men to go after first? The boy, or the other?"

"Your men will do nothing until I say they do," the masked man said, withdrawing his hand from the door. "They will not go anywhere, nor see anyone, nor even feel anything until it becomes my order."

"I… I don't understand," the other man said. "What do we – um, you, do then?"

"You wish to know what I will do?" the masked man said. "I'll tell you exactly what I will do." He turned his back to the other and slid his arm out of his robe sleeve. He showed a part of his exposed back to the other man, revealing a long scar behind his left shoulder.

"_I _will start with the person who gave me this."

**There's Chapter 5 for you awesome readers! Stay tuned for more chapters coming up soon, I promise! Plus, later on, check out my new side story on Kickin' It as well. Entirely new plot, but same characters, with more modern settings. It hasn't been published as of the time I am writing this message to you guys, but when I do post it, I will surely notify you guys about it in these handy-dandy author notes at the top and bottom in later chapters. Until then, stay awesome, and keep reading/writing.**

**-To Glory**


	6. Chapter 6

**What's up guys! Anyway, here's the next chapter for you! Sorry for the delay, I had technical problems with life. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It. All rights go to Disney Channel and other respected owner(s).**

Jack stood next to the dresser in his room, pushing an open drawer closed with both hands. He had just finished getting ready for the feast tonight. Rudy had insisted that they look excellent, as Ying had implied to dress excellently, and Jack had tried to look his best with the clothes from his scavenged backpack, deciding on a collared plaid shirt and faded blue jeans. From through his open door, he could hear the sounds of Eddie and Jerry arguing about something he was certain was unimportant. The only other thing he could hear from inside his room was the faint splashing of water from the bathroom in the main entry hall.

Jack approached the sliding door that connected his room to Kim's room and gently rapped on the paneled door twice. There was no response from the other room. He lingered at the door, feeling like a stalker as he waited outside her room.

"Kim?" he asked softly. A shadow crossed the panel and stood on the other side of the door.

"Jack?" Kim responded from behind the door. "Is that you over there?"

"Yeah, it's me," Jack said.

"Hold on a second," Kim said. Her shadow disappeared for a brief moment and then reappeared seconds later. She slid open the door and smiled at him welcomingly. "Come in," she invited, ushering him in.

Jack entered her room, noticing that it had about the same furnishings that his room had. Kim had moved and was now standing next to her dresser, combing her hair with a pink plastic brush that she had somehow acquired.

"What's up?" Kim asked.

"Nothing much," Jack replied, crossing over slowly to her bed and awkwardly fingering the knob that topped the wooden bedpost. "Getting ready?" he asked. Immediately he winced, knowing that it was obvious that she was, but for some reason he had asked anyway.

"Yeah," Kim said. "Didn't have much selection in my backpack though," she said, holding up her unzipped backpack with one hand for Jack to see. "Just this and some other clothes." She gestured to a plain white shirt, jeans, and pink scarf that she was wearing. "How do I look?"

"You look beautiful," Jack assured her encouragingly, whole-heartedly meaning every single word.

Kim smiled at him. "Why thank you, Jack," she said, trying to sound formal. "I like your shirt, by the way," she commented, opening one of her drawers with one hand and dropping her hairbrush in it. "It's formal, yet somewhat casual at the same time." She slid the drawer shut.

Jack instinctively looked down at his shirt to remind himself of what he was wearing. "Oh, yeah," he said, tugging at his shirt collar and fingered the black buttons that decorated the center. "I didn't have much choice either, so I chose this," he explained.

"Well, I like it," Kim said. "It looks good on you," she noted, kneeling down to zip up her backpack, which had been dropped and was lying on the floor. "Or maybe it's you who looks good in it," she said teasingly, while believing it herself all the same.

It took Jack a while to process her words in his head and label them as a compliment. "Oh, yeah, um, thanks," he said hastily.

A faint scuffle was heard from the direction of Jack's room. Looking into his room, they saw Jerry's head pop into Jack's doorframe, looking around for him. "Jack! You here?" he asked. He spotted Jack and Kim in Kim's room. "Come on man, Rudy said it's time to go to the feast," Jerry said.

"It's dinnertime already?" Jack asked, surprised. It didn't feel to him as if they had been there for a while.

"Well, I guess time flies when you're having fun," Jerry supplied. "Now come on."

"Okay, we better go, or Rudy will be mad at us for making him late," Jack said to Kim. "Are you just about ready?" he asked.

She nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's go," she said, clearly excited.

Leaving their rooms through Jack's bedroom, they joined Eddie, Milton, and Rudy, who were all dressed up in collared shirts, already waiting for them in their smaller side corridor. Once they had regrouped, Rudy slid open the door that led to the entry hall and peeked his head into the hallway, looking down the long corridor.

"Alright, now which way do we go?" Jack inquired from behind him.

"Right," Eddie said, looking very indecisive. "I think."

"Let's go right and see where we end up," Kim suggested from next to Jack.

They headed right, walking down the entry corridor. They ended up in the main courtyard, standing underneath the outstretching arms of the central tree. The sun had almost disappeared from the sky, and the courtyard was fairly dim, lit only by a few secluded lanterns hung on opposing edges of the grand courtyard.

"Which way do we go now?" Jerry asked. "Do we go over there?" he asked, pointing towards the living quarters on the other side of the court.

"I don't think so," Milton disagreed. "Shouldn't the main hall be located in the main building?" he said, pointing towards the tower-like building that dwarfed the other smaller barracks.

"Good point," Rudy said. "Let's go towards the larger building."

They made their way to the tall central building and ascended a small flight of stone stairs that brought them before a large wooden paneled door. Sliding open the main door, they found themselves in a small, well lit chamber with ten seating mats surrounding a low table, on which ten identical cups were already set. Cheng and two other unidentifiable monks were already seated at the table, discussing something in low tones. Cheng rose quickly when he saw that they had arrived.

"Ah, welcome! Welcome to the main dining hall here in the temple," he introduced, gesturing around to the comfortably sized room. "Please, have a seat."

They did as they were told, Jack taking the time to make sure that he sat next to Kim. As the six filled in the spaces around the table, they noticed that one seat remained empty.

"Who's missing?" Rudy asked curiously, pointing to the empty seat that was to the right of Cheng.

"Ying," Cheng explained, patting the empty mat. "He will be here shortly," he assured them. "In the meanwhile, we will begin." He clapped his hands together, the sound ringing throughout the room.

On cue, hooded monks emerged from the back of the room and placed a steaming bowl of soup in front of each of them. Cheng nodded in appreciation to the monks as they served him. Within mere seconds, each of them present was given both a bowl and a spoon. Bending in a respectful bow while simultaneously backing away from the table, the hooded monks quickly scooted through an open door at the back of the room in a very orderly fashion, sliding the door shut behind them.

Cheng slowly dipped his spoon in the broth and sipped minimally from it, the rest doing likewise. Raising his spoon to his mouth and tasting the broth, Jack was impressed by how excellent it tasted. He quickly took another spoonful.

Cheng and the other two monks had casually set down their spoons after their first sips and watched as the others eagerly consumed the delicious soup.

"How is it?" Cheng inquired.

"Really good," Kim commented, taking the time to pause and look up as she answered his question.

"It's excellent," Jerry agreed from in between quick gulps.

"So, tell me," Cheng started, gingerly pushing his bowl to the side with one finger, "how well do each of you know martial arts?"

"Oh, I'm actually a black belt," Rudy declared, looking very proud of himself. "Third degree black belt."

"Third degree," Cheng mused, nodding sagely. "Very impressive. I would not have expected that."

Rudy bobbed his head enthusiastically. "It is rather amazing," he said, sounding very full of himself.

The monk that was seated to Cheng's left spoke. "One of our finest martial artists here is Ying," he said. Like Cheng, he had barely, if even at all, touched his soup. "However, he is a ninth degree black belt."

Rudy froze with a spoon halfway to his mouth, shock registering on his face. "Well, uh," he began, trying to salvage what dignity he had left, "he's probably been studying longer."

"What about the rest of you?" Cheng asked.

"Just a black belt," Jack said.

"I'm a black belt as well," Kim supplied.

Before Jerry, Eddie, and Milton could name their level, Rudy cut them off abruptly, obviously trying to keep them from revealing to Cheng how little they really knew. "What about you?" he asked Cheng casually.

"Twelfth degree," Cheng said, saying it as if it were nothing.

"Oh. That's good," Rudy said, looking rather shown up. Choosing not to pursue the conversation further, they continued their meal in dead silence.

When they were all finished with the soup, the servers promptly came out again in a single file line, replacing their bowls of soup with large platters of meat and vegetables in the blink of an eye. Just as fast as they had come out, they were gone.

"Quick service here," Eddie said from across the table.

Cheng nodded in agreement. "They that serve here are among the best chefs in the land," he said. "They can prepare and serve an exquisite dish in a mere minute."

They unanimously began to eat the main meal that was now in front of them.

While they ate, behind the closed door that led to the kitchen, the hooded chef-monks were busy preparing their dessert. Ten bowls of perfectly homemade mango ice cream sat lined up on the metal counter, almost ready to serve as the chefs added the final touches to the dessert – an extra scoop here, an extra scoop there. When they were satisfied that it was worthy enough to be brought to the table, they backed away from the desserts and briskly turned their attention to the pots and pans sitting in the sink that needed scrubbing and they started to clean them tediously, oblivious to what has happening behind their backs.

Behind them, a man in a black robe wearing a featureless black mask entered the kitchen through a back door and expertly but silently made his way to the ten neatly arranged bowls. Hovering a single finger over each of the bowls as he mentally chose one of them, his finger eventually stopped just over the bowl at the end of the line. Slipping a sealed paper packet out of his sleeve, he tore it open and lightly dusted the orange ice cream with a translucent yet poisonous powder that was almost impossible to detect. He placed the empty packet in his pocket and quickly exited the building through the back door.

Back in the dining hall, all of them had just about finished their main course. Cheng, setting down his silverware aside from his plate with a certain finality, addressed Rudy directly.

"Rudy, is it?" he asked, making sure he knew his name before he proceeded with the conversation.

"That's me," Rudy said, swallowing before he answered as to not answer with a full mouth.

"Well, Rudy," Cheng continued, "we'll begin training with your students in the morning. Just outside of here, to the left, is our training room. I am sure that your students will find our temple apprentices more than willing to help them in their practices. You, on the other hand, can do as you please. Take a walk, access the hot springs, anything you desire within reason. Most of the temple is open to your exploration."

"That sounds good to me," Rudy said. He opened his mouth to say more, but they were distracted by a commotion behind him. Turning, they saw that their last guest had finally arrived. Ying stood in the doorway, framed by a dark sky behind him. His black robes billowed around him in the wind. The cold air let in by the open door coursed through the room, sending a shiver across the others.

Without a word, Ying closed the door and swiftly took a seat at the last remaining seat next to Cheng and Jack.

"Welcome, Ying," Cheng said. "You're just in time for dessert."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Ying said, folding his hands calmly on the table. "I only come to report that the training room has been rearranged, cleaned up, and is now ready for their use."

"Excellent," Cheng said. "However, if you won't eat with us, at least linger for a moment while we finish."

"I will stay until then," Ying conceded.

Jack, finishing up his plate to the best of his ability, glanced over at Ying and noticed a corner of something protruding from Ying's sleeve. It looked like the edge of a black mask that had been hastily concealed in his robe.

"What's that?" Jack asked curiously, addressing Ying.

Ying looked directly at Jack, subconsciously pushing the edge of the mask out of sight with one hand. He looked him right in the eye.

"What's what?" Ying asked, almost challenging Jack to question him further.

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. It was none of his business anyway. He was soon distracted by the servers coming out a third and final time, this time placing a bowl of mango ice cream in front of them.

Jack looked at his ice cream. It looked delicious and it was perfectly scooped, but then he spotted a barely visible power layer on top of his dessert. He wondered what it was. It must be a topping that adds flavor, he told himself.

Ying hadn't moved a muscle. He was busy studying Jack intensely as he seemed to observe his ice cream.

Jack was about to start eating it, but at the last minute decided against it. "No thank you," he said, pushing it away from him slightly.

Ying narrowed his eyes in confusion and dismay as he watched Jack's unexpected response. This was a most unfortunate decision on his and so many others' parts.

"You can just hand it over to me," one of the monks offered. "I will take it to the kitchen for disposal."

Jack submissively handed his bowl over to the monk. As he took it, he naturally glanced in it to check how much he had eaten, if any at all. While observing the contents of the dessert bowl, all color drained from his face. His face went pale with shock.

"Cheng," he said, tapping Cheng multiple times on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Yes? What is it?" Cheng asked, turning his focus to the monk.

"Look at this," the monk said. He showed the bowl to Cheng, and Cheng's eyes widened as he realized the contents of the dessert.

"Take this to the kitchen at once," he ordered the monk quickly. "Give it to the head chef and show him. He will know what to do."

The monk nodded, stood up, and quickly left the dining room and entered the kitchen through the side door.

Cheng leaned over and whispered something discreetly to Ying, who nodded in understanding.

"I see, master," he said.

Cheng turned to the rest of them with a sense of urgency. "Are you all just about finished?"

"I think we're pretty much done, yeah," Rudy said, swallowing his last mouthful. The rest were already done with their dessert as they relaxed in their sitting positions on their individual mats.

Cheng nodded. "Then that concludes out feast." He looked at Ying imploringly. "Ying, escort them back to their quarters. And be careful."

Ying stood up quickly. "By all means, master," he said.

The rest of them followed suit, standing to their feet awkwardly.

"Thank you very much for the dinner," they said in almost perfect unison. Cheng nodded, but his nod was to no one in particular, looking deep in thought and very distracted.

Ying led them out of the dining hall, through the main courtyard, through the entry hall, and back to their living quarters. He paused at the door that joined their rooms with the main hallway, letting them pass him into their own small corridor.

"Good night," he said briefly. "And lock your doors when you're in your rooms."

"Good night, Ying," Kim replied, wasting no time as she entered her room without protesting, obviously eager to get to bed. "Good night, guys," she quickly added before closing her door. The others did the same, saying their good night's and closing their doors shut behind them. The faint sound of doors locking resounded in the room.

There was a commotion from out of sight, down the hallway, and Ying turned his head to look down the hallway cautiously, eyes searching the hallway warily for the source of the sound. He didn't even pay any attention to any of them. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, preparing for a fight.

Inside, Jack had entered his room, but he had paused halfway in. He glanced at Ying momentarily.

Ying's face betrayed no emotion. His face revealed no happiness or sadness, no anger or fear. The only hint to his mood was the cautious behavior he employed.

After all, it was nearly impossible to tell under the faceless black mask that he was now wearing.

**There you guys are! I promise I'll start on the next chapter as soon as I can so I can post it even quicker. I've also been working on a new side story, so stay tuned for that. Until then, keep reading/writing and stay awesome.**

**-To Glory**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hellloooo peoples! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. My Internet was being stupid and it wouldn't let me post on here till today. Anyway, that's enough about my problems. Here's the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It. All rights go to Disney and other respected owner(s). **

Jack stood alone inside his room as he shrugged on his white karate uniform, carefully slipping his arms into the long sleeves. It was early in the morning the day after the feast, and so far he was the only one awake in the handful of rooms that the dojo inhabited. Rudy, Eddie, Milton, and Jerry were still asleep, passed out from last night's activity. Kim had been the first to rise. After a quick shower, she left to go to the practice room to start training a few minutes prior.

Jack, finishing tying the last supporting knot on his white uniform, stepped outside his room, gingerly guiding his sliding door shut with one hand. He made his way into the entry hall, making sure not to make too much noise as he left their rooms. He headed down the long hall and into the main courtyard. It was peacefully quiet, with the cold morning air reawakening his senses that were dulled from sleep. The only sounds that could be heard were his own surprisingly loud footsteps on the stone floor.

Becoming self-aware of the commotion he was making, he treaded on light steps up the small set of stairs and slowly made his way past the main dining hall to a large brown wooden door, which he had deduced from the previous night, must be the training room Cheng had referred to. Some unreadable Japanese or Chinese characters were painted elegantly in blue directly above the door. He glanced around at the buildings and walls that surrounded him, taking note of the fact that there were no other doors to try besides the one he was standing in front of currently. He decided to take a quick look inside to see if it was actually the training room. With a cautious hand, he opened the door, swinging it outwards, and stepped inside.

Inside the door was a large, spacious room with a vaulted ceiling and wooden rafters crisscrossing above his head, forming an elaborate checkered pattern. A large white practice mat dominated the center of the floor, while rows of hung-up training dummies and racks of sharpened weapons surrounded the mat on every side.

Jack immediately spotted Kim on the far side of the practice room, sitting on a stone bench, and he almost called out to her, but she was busy talking with at least ten other young teenagers, all dressed in identical white karate uniforms, with the exception of the diversely colored assortment of belts that they wore. They stared at her as if she was an angel, and seemed to be in love with her.

Jack stood awkwardly in the shadow of the door, watching without a word as Kim talked with her newfound admirers. He tried in vain to fight the feeling that was quickly formulating deep in his gut.

_I'm not jealous,_ he attempted to convince himself.

Jack tried to ignore Kim and the others as much as possible, skirting around them to the practice dummies the long way around the edge of the mat, trying not to call attention to him. Taking a position in front of one dangling dummies, he monotonously began to kick and punch the unresponsive mannequin.

He slowly got more involved in the exercise and eventually developed a rhythm. Front kick, side kick, punch, duck, uppercut, repeat. He repeated it with mounting precision, his attacks jabbing like sword thrusts past and through an invisible guard. Dimly, in the back of his head, he could hear the voices of Kim and the other apprentices resounding from the bench that sat behind him. He forcibly pushed it out of his mind and continued to practice. His repetition count slowly grew. Five. Ten. Twenty. Thirty.

Before he could reach a total of fifty repetitions, there suddenly was a sound from behind him. Intrigued by the abrupt noise, he stopped mid-punch, turning around in an effort to see what the noise was.

Another apprentice had entered the practice room. He was just about as tall as Jack and he certainly looked much stronger than him. He was wearing a sleeveless white karate outfit whose colors contrasted his dark hair. A black belt was fastened around his waist, and white hand wraps were carefully wound around his hands.

Unlike Jack, the newcomer casually walked straight down the center of the mat, heading straight for the hanging line of practice dummies. He strode with a certain laid back attitude that seemed to emanate a powerful aura. He seemed like the type of person you'd want as a friend, not an enemy.

He passed the group of love-struck apprentices who had encircled Kim. He momentarily glanced at them.

"You guys are idiots," he commented, not even pausing in his stride.

Jack felt a rush of relief to know that he wasn't the only one who disliked the apprentices' obsession with Kim, but he had to remind himself that they disliked it for different reasons.

The newcomer halted at the practice dummy a few spaces down from Jack and began to hit it, perfectly executing each move with the utmost precision and power, knocking the mannequin swinging a foot back each time he connected with it.

Jack continued to watch the strange newcomer, observing his performance in respect. He mentally noted that the newcomer seemed to know karate very well. He couldn't help but wonder if Ying or Cheng had taught him.

The newcomer's attacks quickly diminished to a standstill, suddenly conscious of Jack's watching eyes. He looked at Jack. "What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Nothing," Jack said. Instinctively, he introduced himself to the stranger. "I'm Jack," he said, formally extending a hand in greeting.

The stranger eyed him and his outstretched hand warily for a brief second, then took his hand and shook it firmly. The cloth wrap encircling the newcomer's hand felt rough to the touch.

"Jing," he introduced in reply.

"Is that a Chinese name?" Jack asked curiously. He didn't know whether it had Chinese or Japanese origins.

"Yes. It is Chinese for the word 'respect'."

"Ok," Jack said awkwardly, not knowing exactly how to respond to that.

Behind them, from the bench they heard one of the young apprentices laugh. They both simultaneously turned to look at the group. Kim's admirers had grown from ten boys to fifteen teenage boys.

Jing looked at Jack. He jerked his head backwards in the direction of Kim and the others.

"Do you know her?" he asked Jack.

"Yeah," Jack replied. "She and I came here with our friends from across the sea in America."

Jing nodded in contemplation. "That makes perfect sense," he said. "Our apprentices are easily won over by beauty. Looks that your friend has," he commented, saying it as if it was a mandatory line that he didn't believe.

Jack shifted uncomfortably, under pressure, as Jing's words hit a chord within him. His awkward shift was only slightly visible, but Jing missed nothing. He looked at Jack critically, judging his reaction.

"You like her too, don't you?" he asked.

Jack winced, not trying to hide his obvious expression at all. Apparently, he was so transparent that even someone who knew him as little as Jing could tell what was going on in his mind.

"Yeah," he admitted, seeing no real disadvantages in telling Jing.

"Then go talk to her," Jing suggested.

It was a thoroughly predictable suggestion, but Jack shook his head quickly.

"Why not?"

"Well, I can't really talk to her while she's surrounded by everyone," Jack said, using a legitimate excuse to further his argument.

Jing nodded thoughtfully, thinking through Jack's answer and carefully creating a response just as quickly. "I could get her alone for you," he offered. "The apprentices need to practice anyway."

"That would be nice," Jack admitted.

Jing nodded. Turning to face the cluster of apprentices, he raised his voice drastically. "All of you, back to work!" he ordered in a loud, commanding voice.

The effect of his words was immediate. Upon his order, the apprentices scattered, leaping off their comfortable sitting positions on various and quickly stumbling to their feet. If Jack would have been really paying attention, he would have found the sight almost comical. They dispersed into several different groups, and soon the expansive mat was filled with sparring martial artists.

Jing gave Jack a knowing, almost permissive look, and then headed onto the mat to face off against another apprentice in a fighting match.

Jack, slowly acknowledging the gesture, walked over to Kim, who now sat alone on the wide stone bench. Without a word, he took a seat right next to her.

"Hey, Kim," he said, giving a small wave.

She smiled at him. "Hey, Jack," she said. However small, her smile had just made Jack's day.

"You had quite the bunch of fans," he commented.

"It'll pass," she assured him, waving the subject off. Jack wished he could believe that.

Kim looked at him. "Besides, I bet you have at least a few admirers of your own," she said teasingly, twirling her hair around one finger subconsciously. "Girls must like you, right?"

"Are you one of them?" he asked, trying to maintain a joking attitude to the conversation while also retaining a core of seriousness.

Kim laughed softly. She looked Jack in the eye. "I'll always like you, Jack," she said. "Always."

_In what way? _Jack asked himself. He, more than anyone, wanted to know. It was killing him not knowing if Kim liked him back.

"And, um," Jack started, not knowing exactly how to respond but reflexively forming an awkward response, "I'll always like you too."

As soon as the words had left his mouth, he realized that he didn't even know why he said that. He winced at the stupidity of his words, and waited for any sort of laugh from Kim. But none came. She just nodded knowingly and looked around at the practice match without another word, taking in everything that was around them.

Jack maintained his friendly smile until she looked away, then directed his attention to Jing, who had stopped sparring and was now leaning against one of the walls casually, arms folded across his chest as he observed the apprentices' performance.

Jack managed to catch his eye and Jing looked questioningly at him, not saying a word. Jack looked at him, silently asking him for help out of the awkward situation he was now in with Kim.

Jing gave him a what-do-you-want-me-to-do look. Jack responded with a do-anything-at-all look.

Jing waved his hands in short spasms, while, in confusion, he tried to formulate an idea in such a short time. A second later, he seemed to have it. He called in a loud voice across the room to Jack.

"Jack, get to work too," he commanded.

Jack turned to Kim, grateful to Jing for an excuse to say something. "We better practice too, or Jing will be mad at us," he said, carrying along Jing's idea and hoping it would serve as a perfectly valid reason.

"Yeah, okay," Kim agreed, standing up. She turned to Jack. "Alright, you can attack first, and I'll defend," she suggested.

"Okay," Jack said.

They began to spar slowly, Jack trying not to hit out at Kim too hard as not to accidentally break her defense and possibly injure her. They eventually fell into a pattern, their bodies moving in perfect synchronization, carefully executing each attack and defensive move.

But the peace was about to end.

When Jack moved to execute a kick at Kim, she caught him by the foot and shoved it back towards him, forcing him to awkwardly hop backwards. Jack, unbalanced by the unexpected move, stumbled and fell to the floor.

Instantly, Jing was above him, looking disapprovingly down at him.

"What was that supposed to be?" Jing asked.

"I fell," Jack explained bluntly.

Jing rolled his eyes. "I see that," he said. "Get up." He offered a hand to Jack, who took it. Jing helped Jack slowly to his feet then backed up a few paces.

Jing faced him on the mat, looking ridiculously powerful compared to the other apprentices in the backdrop. "You need to be quick to adapt," he said. "Quicker to defend." Without warning, he jabbed at Jack with a quick, fast right punch, and Jack had just a mere split second to respond. He managed to do a clumsy sidestep past it, but despite his attempt at a dodge, the punch still grazed his cheek.

"Get into it," Jing commanded. "Feel every attack, every defense, every weapon. Memorize every tool your opponent uses, and know how to counter it. You got that?" he asked Jack, who had spaced out.

Jack nodded blankly.

Jing nodded, noting his unresponsive attitude. "Then let's test that."

Suddenly, Jack was fighting for his life.

Jing was upon him quickly, striking from every angle and with every ounce of power in his body. The attacks were fast, brutal, and without mercy. Jack, blocking the first onslaught of attacks, did an odd dance out of the path of the other blows, ending up square in the center of the mat. The other apprentices stopped fighting and backed away, watching the brawl.

Jing proved to be a most resourceful opponent. He tried to knock Jack off his feet, he backed him up against walls, and he even once kicked the contents of an entire weapons rack straight at Jack with deadly accuracy.

Jack dodged the lethal projectiles and countered three more blows, then managed to land a punch on Jing with the use of a carefully timed feint. Jing recoiled like a snake from the blow, and Jack saw his opportunity. He leaped for Jing swiftly, drawing his arm back for a single shattering punch.

But Jing was faster. Quick as a mousetrap, his eyes locked onto a bamboo staff near his feet, used one foot to kick it up to his waiting hand, and spun around to bring it smashing into Jack's side while Jack was still airborne.

Winded, Jack was cast to the side by the blow. He lay on the ground for a moment and then got up, trying to catch his breath while trying not to seem weak.

"You're really good," Jack complimented Jing.

Jing spun the staff expertly yet aimlessly with one hand and tossed it without care into a pile of discarded weapons that lay on the floor next to him. He looked at him and sized him up, judging him based on his performance. "You know, you're not that bad yourself," he said. "If you want, you can come by tomorrow night. I'm sure Ying can help you shape that raw talent into skill."

"Sure," Jack said in between breaths. He wasn't exactly eager to train with Ying, but he complied.

Jing nodded and turned his back on him to face the other apprentices, who still stood in awe in the aftermath of the fight. "Keep working!" he ordered. They scrambled back to their positions, tripping over fallen weapons as they hurried back to their places.

Jack made his way back to Kim, clutching his side where Jing had hit him.

"You did pretty well," Kim said sincerely. "I doubt I would've done that well against an opponent." She looked at Jing. "Though Jing is also really good at karate too," she commented.

Jack followed her gaze to Jing. There was something odd about Jing. With mysterious eyes, calculating and all-knowing attitude, he was the perfect person you would expect to be some sort of criminal. But there was something more. His attitude towards Jack in particular was different. Like he knew something he didn't. Something… sinister.

Under these ambiguous circumstances, there was no trace of doubt in Jack's mind that he did.

**There you go. Also, I am working on a new story about a war of supernatural powers and abilities. If that interests you, be sure to check it out as it will be released sometime in the next week. Also might write a poem (fun fact, I love writing poetry). But for this story, I will update it soon if my Internet allows it, and probably also will edit this chapter (I love editing stuff). Right now, it pretty much controls my posting speed, but my b-day is also coming up in six days (not including today), so that might prolong it down by a day at the most. **

**Oh, I almost forgot! If you want me to write a story for a specific movie, TV show, book, play, etc., I'll write one to the best of my ability. Tell me what you want to see happen. I love hearing you guys' thoughts and opinions. But until next time, keep reading/writing. **

**-To Glory**


	8. Chapter 8

**Helllloooooo guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, there's a perfectly invalid reason for that. I've been busy with science fair and stufficles, and I've posted the new story, but I didn't forget about you guys. I feel really bad about not posting in a while, but anyways, to the chapter!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Kickin' It. All rights go to Disney and other respected owner(s).**

Jack aimlessly swung his hammock from side to side as the entire dojo relaxed in the hammock area that had been constructed off to the side of the practice room. They had been waiting in the lounge area for almost ten minutes already, awaiting their time to enter the practice room and train with Ying, who had personally requested to meet with them to evaluate their karate skills. Kim lay in the hammock directly above him, while Eddie, Jerry, and Milton sat on the stone bench to their left silently, leaning back against the wall of the practice room.

Kim spoke from above him. "What do you think we're going to do with Ying?" she asked curiously.

"I dunno," Jack said, sarcastically teasing her. "Train?"

Kim peered down at Jack over the side of her hammock long enough to flash him an annoyed look.

"I know that," she said defensively. "But what kind of training?"

Jerry spoke from his laid-back position on the bench. "Weapons mastery?" he suggested.

Jack shrugged, which he soon realized was a pointless action since Kim couldn't even see him. "If we did practice with weapons, it would be pretty advanced, wouldn't you think?" he said. "After all, he is a ninth degree black belt."

"I didn't even know there were that many degrees of black belts," Kim said.

"Yeah," Eddie agreed. "And I thought Rudy's third degree was high."

There was an awkward pause for a moment as they considered the parts of that sentence.

"Speaking of him, where is Rudy anyway?" Kim asked.

"He's relaxing," Jack guessed.

"He's in the hot springs," Jerry corrected, with an all-knowing air around him.

Jack felt slightly irritated at Jerry's correction. "Same difference," he said.

"What's Ying doing in there anyway?" Milton asked, standing to his feet and climbing up onto the bench to try to peek inside a window above him that was placed a good ten feet off the ground.

"You're never going to reach that," Eddie told him. "Plus, it's blocked off."

"Oh."

"Ying's training with some other advanced apprentices," Kim explained to Milton.

Just then, the door to the room opened, and two apprentices stumbled out. Both were severely bruised, and one of them was clutching his side in pain. Their white uniforms were stained with dark smudges of dirt and dust, and they looked pretty worn out from their training session with Ying. As the dojo watched them in silence, they staggered off and around a corner, out of line of vision.

"I guess it's our turn," Jack said, sitting up in his hammock.

"They looked like Ying beat them up," Jerry commented. "Hope we don't come out looking like them."

Jack and Kim slowly climbed out of their precariously swinging hammocks, careful not to fall and hurt themselves before they even started to train. In a single file line, the dojo entered the training room, filing in through the open door that the previous apprentices had forgotten to close.

They entered the large room, careful not to make too much noise as they stepped through the doorframe. The room was very dark, illuminated by three lone candles closely placed together in the center of the room. They seemed to hover in midair as they provided little light so see by. The only other light in the room was the daylight let in by the open door behind them, which warmed the dojo's backs. The miniscule lighting was enough to reveal that Ying stood in the center of the room, facing the three candles. His back was to them, but as they all entered, he quickly turned to face them. He was wearing a black karate uniform.

Ying studied them. The candles set behind him gave a glowing outline to his figure, and would have turned him into nothing but a silhouette had the open door not faintly illuminated his front.

"Are all members of your party here?" he asked. In the dark room, it was nearly impossible to determine whether or not it was Ying speaking, or if it was someone else; someone they couldn't see.

Jerry looked confused. "All members of our what?" he asked.

Ying didn't move, but Jack could tell by his expression that he was slightly annoyed. "Your party," Ying repeated.

Jerry had a befuddled expression on his face as he tried to interpret what Ying was saying.

"Are all members of your dojo here?" Ying asked again, his voice clearly growing impatient.

"Yes," Kim butted in, obviously not wanting to infuriate Ying further. "We're all here," she assured him.

Ying relaxed ever so slightly, dropping his shoulders at least half an inch. "Good," he said, almost wearily. "Then we will begin." With one hand, he reached under the base of the candles and took a hold of something underneath. He hoisted all three candles in the air simultaneously, and Jack realized that it wasn't three separate candles on the floor; it was actually three candles placed on a candelabra.

"Follow me, if you will," Ying said to them. He led them over to a rack of weapons that sat right next to the wall. On it were five different weapons, the metal in each of them gleaming under the light from the flaming candles. One by one, Ying grabbed each weapon and handed it to one of them. As Ying passed out the weapons to them, Jack found himself in the possession of a double-headed scythe. The blades on each end of the scythe were large, sharp, and appeared heavy, but the weapon itself felt very balanced, as if it were able to be maneuvered easily.

He looked over at Kim, and by the dim candlelight he could tell that she held a sword. The metal in the blade was scorched, but the edges of the blade were wickedly sharp, and judging by the ease by which she held it, she must have had no problem balancing it either.

Jerry stared at the long steel spear Ying had handed him. He raised it up to the candlelight, trying to see if there was anything hidden on or in it, as if it had some sort of secret engraving or writing. When he was satisfied that there was nothing abnormal about the weapon, he looked at Ying.

"What do we use these for?" he asked Ying.

Ying looked at him, but he didn't answer his question. He continued to distribute the weapons to the. Once they all had a tool to fight with, he led them back to the training mat in the middle of the room.

"In your hands," Ying said, not even pausing a second in his stride until he reached the center of the room, "you each have a weapon capable of self-defense."

"What do we do with it, though?" Kim interrupted curiously.

Ying flashed a brief look at Kim, and Jack could have sworn he had a faint, almost all-knowing smug smile on his face. He turned to face them, and they had to halt abruptly to prevent running directly into him.

"Exactly what I said," Ying said.

"Which is?" Jack prompted.

Ying seemed to evaluate all of them for a minute. Without a word, he shouldered his way straight through the group, heading for the open door behind them. The dojo's eyes followed him curiously as he made his way to a position next to the door. With one hand, Ying shut the door swiftly, and soon the only light left in the room was that of the three candles that still burned in Ying's hand.

"Your first test," Ying began, "is to protect yourself against something that you can't see."

"What do you mean by something that we can't see?" Eddie asked, almost fearful of the answer.

Ying reached up to the flame adorning each candle, and with a single, quick swipe, extinguished all three flames. In the darkness, they could just barely see the smoke that curled up from the burnt wicks of the candles. The room was pitch black, now that they no longer had the candles to rely on for light. Even though Kim was standing right next to him, Jack could barely see her, or anyone else for that matter.

"Me," came Ying's voice from the darkness.

"Oh, great," Jerry said, from somewhere off to Jack's right.

Jack tried not to let fear grip his heart too tightly. Subconsciously raising his weapon in front of him in defense, he took slow steps back, not even knowing where he was going. As far as he knew, he could be backing up right into Ying. He tried not to think about that possibility as he slowly retreated in the darkness.

Suddenly, he bumped into something. A person.

He heard a sharp cry of surprise and reflexively spun, fiercely slashing out at the person behind him with his scythe. However, his swing was halted as an opposing force, an opposing weapon, countered his strike. He heard a girl's voice come out from in front of him.

"Who's that?" she asked.

Jack felt a rush of relief at the voice. He knew that voice. It was Kim.

"It's me, Jack," he assured her.

There was a pause as the girl listened to him. "How do I know that it's really you?" she asked.

"Your last name is Crawford," Jack suggested, throwing out a random fact. "Ying wouldn't know that."

As soon as he said it, he couldn't help but wonder if Ying did know that.

He heard an audible sigh of relief from Kim, and he couldn't help but let out the breath he had been unknowingly holding as well.

"You scared me, Jack," Kim said.

"Sorry about that," Jack said guiltily, remembering his uncalled for strike out in the darkness.

He heard Kim breathe heavily from in front of him. "That's alright," she said. She sounded like she was still trying to calm down, and Jack could hardly blame her. After all, it wasn't every day that one of your best friends takes a whack at you with a scythe.

Suddenly, there was a commotion to their left. They heard a clash of steel, something that sounded like a bone snapping, and the sound that a foot makes when it hits a flesh target.

"What's that?" he heard Kim ask. Her voice was laced with fear and anxiety.

Jack wasn't confused about the mysterious sounds at all. He knew exactly what was happening, what was going on that they couldn't see.

"Ying's taking out Jerry, Eddie, and Milton," he said.

Kim was quiet as the truth of his words sank in.

"We should stick together," Jack suggested, attempting to sound confident and brave, when the truth was that at that moment, he was actually feeling the opposite of those traits.

He heard shuffling from Kim's direction, and he could only guess that she was shifting from foot to foot, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah," Kim said, her words backing up his theory. "I'm not going anywhere."

Abruptly, the resounding sounds of conflict from the darkness cut off. The room was silent as Jack and Kim stood there, no daring to move a muscle.

"They're gone," Jack said.

"We're probably next," Kim added.

Jack tried his best not to freak out as his heart rate drastically sped up. "Cover my back," he told Kim, turning one-hundred-and-eighty degrees and readying his scythe for combat. Although at this point, he doubted that even the fact that he had a lethal weapon would do much good against someone of Ying's skill.

Jack pretended to scan his surroundings, which was pointless because he couldn't see a thing, even his own hand if he held it mere inches in front of his face. He held his scythe in an on guard position in front of him, ready to swing at anything that made a slight noise. He just hoped that he wouldn't accidentally hit Kim again.

"You doing all right, Kim?" he asked Kim.

His question was met with dead silence.

Jack's eyes widened in horror, and his heart frantically skipped a beat.

"Kim?" he repeated.

There was still no response.

"Kim?" he asked again, his voice increasing in urgency.

With one hand, he stretched it out behind him, feeling out in the darkness and seeing if he could feel Kim behind him. He swept his hand in a wide range, searching for any living thing that could be concealed by the darkness. Even though he didn't like the conclusion, his sense of touch agreed with his hearing. Kim was no longer behind him.

Ying had got her without Jack even noticing.

Jack was now officially freaked out. The fact that he could see just as well as a blind man wearing a blindfold could amplified the sense of helplessness that already came from the fact that he was the only one left. He started to jog backwards cautiously, hoping that he would run into a wall soon and that he could run along the wall till he found a corner. At the moment, a corner seemed like the most logical place to defend, and if deemed necessary, hide.

But his retreat was cut short as he heard a loud crash literally right next to him. The sound severely startled Jack in his heightened sense of paranoia, and he jumped almost a foot in the air in shock. Recovering slowly but surely, he blindly swung out at anything or anyone to his right. His swings were uncoordinated, wild, and desperate. Whatever had made the noise, he surely wasn't hitting it.

Suddenly, he was blinded again, but this time not by darkness, but by light. All the windows were suddenly opened, letting bright light shoot in. Jack dropped his scythe, shielding his eyes with both hands from the unexpected blast of light. The light burned his eyes with its sheer magnitude.

And that is when Ying struck.

Out of nowhere, a kick came at Jack, catching him in his chest and knocking him backwards, clean off his feet. Jack hit the ground on his head, dazed from both the contributing factors of the crippling blow and the bright light. He lay on the floor for a moment, trying to grasp what had just happened.

As soon as his vision returned, the first thing he saw was Ying above him, with a disapproving look on his face. Ying's face was in a scowl, but he had an underlying sense of smug triumph that came from his victory over Jack. Looking past Ying, he saw Kim, Jerry, Eddie, and Milton standing on the side of the room, all of them beat up from their fights with Ying.

"You disappoint me," Ying said. "I expected much more."

"Sorry," Jack managed to say.

"Sorry won't cut it," Ying said. "And neither will you."

Jack was confused. He didn't know what Ying meant by that.

"You are weak," Ying continued. "Flawed. Rough."

He raised his hand, and it was only then that Jack realized that in his hand, Ying held Kim's sword, poised and ready for an attack.

"The only way to fix a dysfunctional arm…" he began.

"…is to cut it off."

Ying cleaved downwards at Jack with the sword, and Jack had little time to react, rolling to the side and narrowly avoiding the strike. The slice slashed straight through the floor, leaving a large cut mark in the practice mat. Jack stumbled on his back on all fours away, shocked by Ying's ferocious attack. He didn't know what he had done wrong, only that he had severely angered Ying. Whatever he had done to provoke him, Ying was aiming to kill.

Thankfully, Jack was spared from another swift blow by the sudden opening of the door. Inside stepped none other than Cheng, the sole one who seemed to have authority over Ying. Relief washed over Jack. He didn't know if he could have possibly survived another attack from Ying and his sword.

Cheng looked around calmly, as if everything was perfectly normal. He had a friendly smile on his face.

"Everything alright?" Cheng asked. He looked around, taking in the atmosphere of the training room in the aftermath of Ying's training exercise.

Kim answered for all of them. "We're fine," she said, smiling normally at Cheng. "Ying was just showing us some moves."

A question hit Jack's mind. Where was Ying? He was no longer in front of him, holding a sword, as he was before. Looking around, he could see no trace of Ying, as if he had not been there at all. As his eyes scanned the room, he didn't see Ying anywhere, but his eyes locked on to an open door in the back of the room. Ying must have quickly escaped through that door as soon as Cheng had walked in.

Slowly, Jack made his way to his feet. Careful not to alert Cheng or the others to his movements, he crept slowly around the mat, taking the long way away from them, crawling behind pillars and ducking behind practice dummies as to not make public to them his suspicious behavior. He had to get to that door and follow Ying. He had to know what he had done wrong so he could avoid doing it again. The way Ying had come at him was not ordinary. Ying wanted to kill him, and Jack wanted to know why.

Slipping out of the door, Jack found himself in a smaller, square sub-courtyard, with a small fountain in the center. Bushes and flowers lined the edges of the courtyard, and three other large buildings boxed in the small plaza. Jack looked around in confusion, wondering where Ying had disappeared to.

Suddenly, he spotted Ying, crossing the courtyard with his back to Jack. Ying, his pace hurried, quickly ascended a flight of stairs, entered one of the buildings and disappeared from view. Jack, sprinting across the plaza followed him into the building, tailed him further down a hallway, and paused outside a doorway that Ying had vanished into. Slowly, he peeked inside.

Ying was talking to three other men, but they were masked. They were tall, and each wore dark grey skull-shaped metal masks, emblazoned with intricate and fearsome designs drawn with straight golden lines. They each wore identical robes – black, sleeveless ones, each with a tattoo of a serpent on their triceps. Jack didn't know who they were, but just their appearance alone was quite fearsome. He knew right then that they couldn't possibly be friendly.

Ying was talking, but Jack could only catch glimpses, single phrases of their conversation. They were little sentences here and there, nearly impossible to piece together but easy enough to understand individually.

"…Jack is weak. He will be crushed easily."

"...he will not stand against us."

"…once he is dead, we will rise."

One of the masked men spoke. His voice was sinister and chilling, like a knife scraping against stone.

"What about our compensation?" he asked.

Ying reached into his robe and took out a small but full coin purse that he had cleverly concealed. "Here," he said, tossing it to one of the masked men, who caught it with ridiculous ease. "It's all there. The payment we agreed on."

The masked man tossed the coin purse in the air and caught it, testing its weight. Satisfied that everything was in order, he pocketed the money.

"So, when do you want us to kill Jack?" he asked Ying.

"Any chance you get," Ying told them. "Right now, tomorrow, it matters not."

"No mercy?" asked the masked man next to him.

"None."

The masked men crossed their chest diagonally with their arms and bowed in respect.

"It will be done," they said in unison.

They started to exit the room, and Jack, who was still outside, started to panic. There was no place for him to run to, and he knew that if they found him, they surely would kill him. With no other options in the small space of time he was allotted, he reached up to the rafters that crisscrossed the space above him and pulled him up to it, hiding amidst the supporting beams. He was spread eagle above the hallway, with no time to conceal himself any better. He just hoped that they wouldn't look up.

Beneath him, the masked men exited the hallway, and proceeded to leave in the same direction Jack had entered. One by one, they passed him, and as the third passed underneath him, Jack thought he was home free.

But he wasn't safe at all.

The third masked man paused underneath him. Jack froze, trying not to make too much noise as to alert the man to his presence. As the seconds passed by like minutes, the masked man didn't move from beneath him. Jack gritted his teeth in anticipation. Perhaps he could drop down and make a break for it, although he doubted that he could make it past the other two. As he debated on what to do, the masked man turned and glanced up.

And looked straight at Jack.

The masked man looked up at Jack. He could see the boy. He knew it was Jack. He could see him, spread out above him in an attempt to hide himself. He knew he had listened in on their conversation. He knew Jack knew all that was going on, the plots that were made. He knew that Jack knew everything that happened in that room. And as Jack prepared himself to drop down on him, the masked man moved. Looking straight into Jack's eyes, he gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head.

And continued on his way without a word.

**There you guys are! Sorry these author notes are kinda short, I'm trying to write the author notes in 5 minutes before I leave for school :l But anyways, will update and all that stuff. Looking forwards to writing for you guys again, but until then keep reading/writing.**

**-To Glory**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hellloooooo everybody! ^.^ How are you guys doing? I haven't posted for you guys in such a long time, sorry bout that. HS is really… bad right now. Cough cough… DRAMA cough. So yeah, drama sucks. A friend of mine is trying to convince me to talk to a girl…. yeah never mind. Enough about that. So, anywho, here's the new chappy (yes, I called it that). Hope you enjoy! **

Jack sat stiffly on the very edge of a hard wooden bench placed in the small chamber that connected the dojo's individual rooms. Every part of his body ached in some way from his fight with Ying. The rest of his friends, with the exception of Rudy, sat in similar fashions in other chairs in an informal circle, resting from their harsh "training" session with Ying.

Jerry, whose hand was encased an in unsigned bright blue cast, spoke from Jack's right.

"Man, Ying is brutal," he commented, staring at his cast and gingerly touching it with one finger as if he still couldn't believe he had it. "He broke my hand, dude."

Milton, who had multiple bandages on both his arms, piped up. "He kicked me into the wall."

Jerry nodded in agreement. "He threw me into a pillar," he added.

Jack hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation. His mind kept wandering back to the conversation he heard; the one between Ying and the three masked mercenaries. Why did Ying want to kill him? He had asked himself that same question over and over and over again, but he could never find a suitable answer to it.

His thoughts went to the masked men, whose identities still remained unknown. The golden lines on their masks were unlike anything he'd ever seen. The shape they formed was unconventional, and the lines seemed as if there was no real pattern to them. Despite how random they might appear to be, the orientation of the strokes aired a sense of mystic dominance.

Jack felt a hand drop onto his shoulder. Looking up, he saw that Kim had laid her hand on his shoulder and was looking at him.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked concernedly. "You've been acting really weird on this trip."

"I'm fine," Jack lied.

"You look pretty done in," Milton said, noting the exhausted attitude Jack kept up. "Maybe you better go in to your room, lie down, and rest yourself. You'll feel better by dinnertime."

Jerry stood up abruptly at those words. "You know, Milton," he said, "I think I will. Thanks for the suggestion." He sauntered off towards his room, large blue cast swinging aimlessly at his side.

"I wasn't talking to you," Milton began to say, but he was cut off as Jerry half-slammed his door shut.

Jack watched Jerry jauntily stroll off. Turning to Milton, he tried his best at a smile. "No thanks, Milton, I'm good," he said.

Milton looked at him thoughtfully. "Okay, just don't get too tired," he said.

Eddie, who was sitting right next to Milton, stood up. "Yeah," he agreed. "We've still got a lot of time left in the trip. Save some energy for the rest of it."

Kim looked at them as both Milton and Eddie stood up, stretching out stiff arms and legs whose joints had locked from their inactivity while they sat in the chairs.

"Where are you guys going?" she asked them, looking quite confused.

"Kitchen," Eddie explained to her. "We're going to try to get a snack or something."

Kim frowned. "Do you even know where the kitchen is?"

Eddie paused, a befuddled look on his face as he considered the truth of her words.

Milton cut in, disrupting Eddie's train of thought. "We'll find it," he assured them, beckoning Eddie to follow him as he exited the room. With a final farewell wave, Eddie slipped into the corridor after Milton, sliding the door shut with a soft click.

Kim shook her head, a smile on her lips. "Those are some pretty nice guys to be around," she admitted, staring at the door the pair had just left through.

"Some of the best," Jack agreed, a slight smile forming on his face.

Kim looked over and spotted an empty space on the bench next to Jack. "Mind if I sit?" she asked, gesturing with one hand towards the open area next to him.

Jack considered what he was sitting on. The bench had spindly, thin legs, and Jack was fearful that it wouldn't be able to hold the weight of two people.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, sizing up the estimated support force of the bench. "Looks dangerous to me. Might not hold both of us," he warned.

Kim gave him a reassuring wave of her hand. "It's okay," she convinced him. "I don't weigh that much anyways."

Jack weighted her words in his mind. "In that case, not at all," Jack said. Kim smiled at him and took a seat on the small bench right next to him. The bench quavered a little, but didn't break.

Jack leaned back against the smooth wall they were propped up against as Kim sidled into the empty space next to him. Kim, noting his silence, scooted closer to him so their shoulders were touching. She elbowed him gently.

"Cheer up, Jack, we're on vacation," she said.

"I'm happy," Jack said, lying through his teeth while attempting to act in a very happy manner.

"Sure you are," Kim said sarcastically. "Are you homesick?"

Jack looked at her almost critically. "You really think I'm homesick?" he asked disbelievingly.

Kim shrugged, and for a brief moment Jack thought he'd offended her with either his words or tone. "I don't know, it was just a thought," she said. She looked away from him. "I'm sorry. It's a stupid question and I shouldn't have asked it."

"No, it's okay," Jack said hastily, trying to quickly amend for his mistake. He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively took Kim's hand in his and squeezed it gently. "What about you?" His hand remained intertwined with Kim's.

Kim turned to look at him. "What about me?"

"Are you homesick?"

Kim feigned surprise. "Me? Homesick?"

Jack laughed quietly, knowing perfectly well that was intended to mirror him. "Okay, okay," he said, giving in, "that was a pretty good impression of me. Except I'm not that dramatic," he added.

They both were quiet for a moment.

"But I kind of am," Kim said.

Jack looked at her, initially not believing what he heard. "What?" he asked.

"Homesick," Kim explained. "I am kind of homesick," she admitted.

Jack thought about that for a second. "You don't like it here?" he asked.

Kim shook her head quickly. "It's not that, it's just…" Her voice trailed off.

"Just what?" Jack asked.

Kim looked around at the wooden paneling of their accommodations. "I don't know," she began. "I guess I'm just more used to everything back home. You know, the dojo, the mall, and definitely the people. I really like the people back home.

And no offense, even though this place has this really relaxing atmosphere," she continued, using her hand to gesture at the different things that their hosts had been provided for them, "I honestly don't know if I could ever get used to living like this."

Jack looked around at the dojo's rooms, taking into account the furniture and style. "You have a point," he conceded. "It is different than back home."

"A lot different," Kim agreed. She looked at him. "What about you? Any special girls back home?" Her voice sounded teasing enough, but underneath, there was a hidden sense of seriousness in her words.

Jack smiled and averted his eyes from her gaze. "Yeah, there is this one girl," he admitted. He glanced at Kim. "I really like her, but I don't know if she likes me."

Kim squeezed his hand quickly. "Well, hopefully it'll all work out," she encouraged.

Then something happened. It might have or might not have been a spark, but something was definitely taking place between them. Something that made Kim's eyes flicker briefly to Jack's lips. Something that made them move closer, that made Jack lean in on Kim. Something that made their lips end up centimeters apart.

And that was when the bench chose the perfect time to collapse, broken into multiple pieces by the constant combined weight of the two.

Surprised, Jack and Kim soon found themselves sitting sprawled on the floor with their backs up against the wall, sitting amongst the splintered pieces of what used to be the bench. Jack shook his head.

"Are you okay?" he asked Kim.

She knocked a piece of wood off of one of her legs. "Never better," she said sarcastically. She took the time to look up and smile at Jack. "How about you?"

"Fine," Jack said, glancing over his arms and legs and conducting a full damage assessment of his body. "I might have a few splinters, but other than that, they're all minor things." His mind was filled with many conflicting thoughts and emotions, but the one that dominated his thinking was about their near-kiss.

_So close. _

What he didn't know was that Kim was thinking the exact same thing.

They were distracted by their door sliding open. Looking up, Jack saw none other than Ying framed in the doorway, looking at the two. His face was unreadable.

Ying cleared his throat. "Everything, all right here?" he asked. "What was that crash? What are you doing?"

Kim looked around at the wreckage they had created and realized how bad the situation must look for them. "We were sitting," she started to explain.

"Are," Jack corrected. "We _are_ sitting. As in right now."

Kim realized that they were, in a sense, still sitting. Granted, it wasn't exactly on a chair, but it was sitting nonetheless. "Yeah," she agreed. "What he said."

Ying raised one eyebrow questioningly, but he didn't try to pursue the topic further.

Jack's heart was starting to speed up with fearful anticipation at Ying's presence. He knew that Ying was just checking up on them, but it seemed that wherever Ying went, trouble always followed him.

There were footsteps from behind Ying, and Ying vanished from the doorway the same moment as man's voice, deep and gruff, was heard from some unidentified origin behind the door.

"Sir, I bring a message," he said.

Jack heard Ying's voice from outside in the hallway and he edged closer towards the doorway, trying his best to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"What is it?" Ying asked, clearly annoyed with the messenger's timing.

The messenger's voice dropped to a low whisper, and Jack had to lean very close to the open door to catch his words.

"It's the mercenaries, sir," he whispered. "They need to know more about the quarry."

Jack's mind raced. The mercenaries? He realized that the messenger must be talking about the mysterious masked men he had seen with Ying earlier. He cupped his hand around his ear, desperate to hear and learn more.

"Can't someone else go instead of me?" Ying asked, obviously not wanting to spend another moment with the mercenaries.

Jack heard the messenger shift uncomfortably from one foot to another. "No sir," the messenger said. "They were very specific. You are to come, and you alone. Unarmed and with no one else."

Jack picked up a low growl from Ying. "Fine," the young warrior snapped. "Where are they?"

"They're waiting for you in the east pavilion. You exit the rooms and go right. The pavilion has a small fountain in the middle, and that's how you know you've found it-"

Ying cut him off. "I know where to go," he said, voice dripping with menace. "What do you take me for, an idiot? I've lived here for ten years."

"Sorry, sir, just doing my job," the man said defensively.

"Isn't your job delivering messages?" Ying snarled with clear contempt. "Don't you have other messages to deliver?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then go!" Ying shouted. "What are we paying you for?"

There was a scuttle of feet against the wooden floor as the startled messenger, taken aback by Ying's harshness, scurried away like a frightened rabbit. For a moment, all was quiet, but a new voice was suddenly heard from in the hallway.

"Good evening, Ying," it said.

Jack recognized that voice. Cheng was most definitely on the other side of the door with Ying. From Cheng's unsuspicious tone, Jack deduced that Cheng had just arrived in the hallway. Cheng seemed unaware of the events that had just transpired, just as he had been unaware of what happened in the training room.

"Cheng," Ying said, all malice replaced with formal respect. "What may I do for you?" he asked politely.

"I would like you to see me in my room," Cheng told Ying. "We have business to discuss."

There was a pause as Ying sorted his priorities between his meeting with the mercenaries and his meeting with Cheng. "I would like to," Ying began, "but I cannot. I have somewhere to be."

"What you're doing can wait," Cheng said, his tone growing deadly serious. "With me. Now."

Ying sighed in defeat, seeing no way around the summons. "By all means, master."

There was a moment of silence, and Jack could just picture a friendly smile breaking back out on Cheng's face. "Good," the elder said. "This won't take more than ten minutes."

There were footsteps outside the door as Ying followed Cheng down the hall away from them.

Jack leaned back, away from the door, thinking about what he overheard. Ying was meeting with the mercenaries. The same ones who are going to try to kill him. But Ying wasn't going to be there for ten minutes. If only he could get there ahead of Ying… Jack started to stand up, beginning to mentally plot his way to their meeting zone.

Kim looked up at him. "Where are you going?" she started to ask, but Jack was already out the door.

Jack raced down the hallway, heading in the direction opposite of the way he thought Ying and Cheng had gone. He made his way down the hallway, took a small detour through a side corridor, slipped through two open doors, and out into the main courtyard. He headed right, quickly climbing a small flight of stairs, and as he passed the practice room building, he ended up in a small pavilion ringed with an arrangement of standing columns that formed a square around the courtyard.

As Jack entered the premises, he spotted a small koi fountain in the center of it. Fish swam lazily in the blue-green water pooled in the small stone basin. This was the meeting place alright.

Jack looked around, searching the expanses of the small courtyard. There was no sign of the mercenaries. His eyes scanned the rows of columns and he even peered inside one of the small huts that connected to paths that branched off of the pavilion. No trace of them.

Suddenly, Jack heard footsteps from behind him, but before he could turn to see what it was, something slammed hard into the back of his head, sending him stumbling forwards, all sense of balance lost. Jack hit a stone pillar hard and grabbed it despite his dazed condition, barely managing to halt his fall in time.

His attacker fell upon him again in a split second, but Jack managed to step to one side, and an armored fist smashed into the stone column where his head had been a second ago. But the punch didn't lose momentum. It kept going, carving a chunk out of a three-foot thick rock pillar as if it were nothing but a flimsy sheet of paper.

The sound of cracking stone startled Jack back to reality. No one could punch that hard! He backed up rapidly, trying to get away from his attacker while at the same time barely managing to dodge another crushing blow that came for him in record speed.

Jack, panicking, decided to make a run for the main courtyard, where he hoped someone could help him get away from his opponent. He started to dash for the exit of the pavilion, but a pair of cold, armored hands grabbed his shoulders, holding him in place and rendering him incapable to run away effectively.

Without thinking, Jack jabbed behind him sharply with his elbow. In the chaos, his attack had no real intended destination, but it did hit something, causing his opponent to let out a muffled grunt of pain. Their grip on him, however, didn't change. He was still trapped by his opponent.

Unable to defend himself from attacks that came from behind him, Jack was unable to counter his enemy's next move. A heavy, plated knee smashed into the pit of his back, briefly stunning Jack. Taking advantage of Jack's dropped guard, his enemy used one hand to throw him to the ground. Jack landed face up on the hard stone floor, and soon his adversary was on top of him, armored fist raised to deliver a final crushing blow to the face.

Jack found himself staring into the fearsome faceplate of the mercenaries – the same grey skull mask and the same yellow lines that adorned it. But as he gazed into his opponent's mask, he came to realize that his enemy had halted his assault. As they stared at each other, his adversary realized that it was Jack.

Surprisingly, no blow came. Shocked and confused, Jack watched as his enemy's raised fist slowly dropped to his side, all intents of violence and harm forgotten as the mercenary realized that he was fighting the wrong person.

"You're not-" the mercenary began.

Jack cut him off as he slammed an uppercut right underneath the mercenary's mask with all the power he could muster. There was a crunch, a crack, and soon his opponent was off of him, stumbling back in pain.

Jack slowly got to his feet, his enemy still trying to recover from the unexpected counterattack. For a brief moment, his attacker's head snapped up to look at Jack. In the brief moment they regarded each other, Jack realized that the mercenary was a she.

The mercenary couldn't have been much older than Jack, but she fought with skill comparable to that of Jing and Ying's. She had caramel hair braided over one shoulder, and the prettiest face Jack had ever seen. Her ice blue eyes studied Jack intently.

And then she was gone, running up and away from the pavilion, vaulting over small walls and scaling the surrounding buildings with incredible parkour skills. Within the space of a second, she had completely disappeared from view.

Breathing heavily from their fight, Jack glanced down and noticed an interesting item on the floor next to him. He guessed that it must have come loose during their fight. He gently nudged it with his foot, causing it to roll over and reveal a familiar yet still intimidating face.

On the floor lay the mercenary's mask.

**So there you guys are! Hope you all enjoyed it! Oh, by the way, after this story is wrapped up, I'm going to try to start a completely new and original (sort of) story that I hope to get published! Yeah… funsicles. Quick side note, thank you all who replied to my mass PM Monday. Thanks for sticking with this story even though I suck at post speed. Quick mention to two other authors who informed me that they're writing their own books too and also hope to get them published: Pirulina and PalindromePen. Just wanna let you guys know that I support you all the way! So yeah, guys, try to show support for those two as they try work on their book. I also want to know I support all writers who read this, and I hope you guys write some awesome fanfics and stories! Until next time, stay awesome and keep reading/writing.**

**-To Glory**


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